I took my mothers Chocolate Fudge cake recipe and created my own Mocha Chocolate Cake with Malted Caramel Icing recipe. The result was a big hit!
This was actually the first time I had ever made my Mother’s cake. You know, we all enjoy the favorites each member of our family is famous for cooking. My sweet daughter, a Mom of 5, Â has been the one making Momma’s Chocolate Fudge Cake since Momma went to live with Jesus. Tresa does a great job with the cake. It tastes and looks exactly as her Granny made it.
 I finally decided to merge my Momma’s recipe with my own caramel icing recipe but add a nice twist to both the cake itself and the icing. My new Mocha Chocolate Cake with Malted Caramel Icing was born in late July.  I’ve been waiting on the right time to share it! Today is the first day of Fall 2014. What better time than now to share a fabulous dessert fit for the approaching holiday season, right!
We had a good old fashioned Sunday dinner at our home recently so I made it again.
I have made it twice now. It vanished the first time and everyone didn’t get a piece. I was informed that I had to make it again, soon. We had a good old fashioned Sunday dinner at our home recently so I made it again. I decorated it differently both times which is why the pictures are different.
It was almost completely gone! I barely got the picture before it vanished! This was the second one I made. I used crushed malted milk balls to decorate the sides and top edges.
Surrounded by crushed malted milk balls, this Mocha Chocolate Cake doesn’t stand a chance for survival around chocolate lovers!
The first time I made this cake was the first time I got to use my new Cake Boss 9″ round cake pans which I love!
The next time I made it for the big family Sunday Dinner, I doubled the recipe to make a larger cake to accommodate the crowd. The layers were thicker so the slices were thinner.Â
I still used the 9″ cake pans because I love pretty round cakes sitting up on a pedestal!
How To Decorate Cake with Crushed Candy: To get the crushed malted milk balls onto the side of the cake, place plastic wrap onto the outer edges of the plate prior to placing the bottom cake layer on the plate. You want the plastic wrap to just barely be under the cake so that removing the plastic wrap will be easy.
Next ice  the cake. Then scoop the crushed malted milk balls all the way around the cake onto the plastic wrap. Carefully, lift the plastic wrap up and press the crushed candy onto the side of the cake.
Sounds easy, right? Not so much. Don’t get in a big hurry, be gentle. This will take a few minutes.
One baking tool which is a big help when decorating cakes is a rotating cake stand. They come in a variety of price ranges and styles. You can find them on Amazon, here. Mine is a Wilton and probably about 30 years old.
Crushing the Malted Milk Balls: One of my all time favorite kitchen tools is my little electric food chopper!  I just crushed the milk balls in the food chopper. It took about one box of Malted Milk Balls to cover the sides of the cake. In this photo you can see big chunks of chocolate as I did not crush the milk balls fine on the above cake. My husband did crush them fine for the second cake pictured below.
Mocha Chocolate Cake with Malted Caramel Icing is a perfect dessert for Fall and the holiday season!
I hope if you make this cake, you would please share your photos with me! I’d love to see how you decorate yours! Tag me on Facebook when you post your cake pictures!
What dessert is always popular at your family dinners?
- 1¾ Cups Sugar
- 2 Cups Sifted Flour
- 1 tsp. Soda
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 1 Cup Butter or margarine
- 1 Cup Water
- ¼ Cup Cocoa
- ½ Cup Instant Cappuccino
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
- 2 Eggs, Beaten
- 1 Tsp. Caramel extract
- Sift together sugar, flour, cappuccino, soda and salt.
- In a saucepan, combine butter, water and cocoa, stirring constantly on medium high. Bring to a rolling boil.
- Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and caramel extract.
- Pour into prepared baking pans.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350° until done, about 30-40 minutes. Oven temperatures vary. Cake is done when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This Caramel Icing recipe has been published along with my Caramel Cake recipe here. I have made a printable copy of just the Caramel Icing available below. Click  title in blue beneath the recipe.  It will open with an option to print or save to your computer.
Nicole says
That looks so delicious. Right now, I would totally eat that whole thing because chocolate and mocha. Yum. Thanks for sharing this one on #yuckstopshere link party. Come share more with us next week.
Erlene says
Holy moly this is making my mouth water! Pinned and plan on making your cake soon.Thanks for sharing it on Merry Monday.
Elizabeth says
Oh my! This looks so delicious. I love the addition of malted milk balls. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!! Pinning to my personal board.
Chrystal @ YUM eating says
Oh My YUM! Shirley I know you are not doing the #stoptheyuck with us anymore but I would love it if you still stopped by and dropped off this recipe! I know folks would love it!
Shirley Wood says
It’s #16 on #StoptheYuck. So sorry to hear about your cousin’s home but on a brighter note, Happy Blogiversary to you! Mine is in full swing. I hope you will enter the Giveaway!
Carrie Groneman says
I LOVE malted malt balls! Thank you so much for linking up at Wonderful Wed. Blog Hop and I featured you on my fb page. Please come back again next week. Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
Shirley Wood says
Thanks so much Carrie. Thanks for the share! I will be partying with you again 🙂
Winnie says
What a mouth-watering cake!!
Looks heavenly, and I’d loooooooove a huge slice
Zan says
Oh men Shirley…that is so wrong to put such a tempting recipe post! Oh well, I guess I will just sit here and let my mouth water. Next time, invite us over to help it vanish quickly like it did at the dinner!
Shirley Wood says
You are so funny, Zan. Save this one for special occasions! You will be sure to impress your guests!
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
You have incorporated three of my favorite things… caramel, chocolate, and malt. I am sooo happy. Can’t wait to give this recipe of yumminess a try! PINNED 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Shirley Wood says
They say great minds think alike, Lorelai! I’m not a chocaholic like my husband, but when you start combining ingredients, my ears perk up!
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
Goodness, Shirley, that looks AMAZING! And I like that cake pedestal, too! LOL My family are a bunch of sweet tooths – they like pretty much any kind of dessert – although I get lots of requests for my Key Lime Pie and my Flan LOL
Shirley Wood says
Aww, thank you Kristen. Little secret, it’s actually a candle pedestal 🙂 It worked like a charm though! Key Lime Pie is my husbands Favorite pie!
Amber @ Tales of Domestica says
I love the idea of family recipe’s and passing them on. Thanks for sharing. The malt ball crumbs made my mouth water!
Shirley Wood says
Those malted milk ball crumbs make this cake awesome! Glad we are a kindred spirit 🙂 I’m working on a cookbook with my Mom’s recipes so I can share with my family.
Colleen says
Oh my heavens. This looks amazing. And I love the turquoise cake stand you chose to style the cake. Pretty color combo!
Shirley Wood says
Thank you for those kind words Colleen. The cake stand is actually a pillar candle holder doing double duty 🙂 You gotta love repurposing!
Alli says
You really threw a kink in my diet today! 🙂 OK – caramel cake is tied with red velvet as my favorite cake of all times. And I do believe you have taken it to a whole new level by the introduction of chocolate, mocha and the malted milk balls! I’m in chocolate caramel heaven!
I always cherish recipes from my mom, who lives in my hometown in GA and I really get a lump in my throat when I use a recipe from my grandmothers, who are both with Jesus. It’s another way of them being a part of our lives and fond memories.
Great recipe, Shirley! Pinning!
Shirley Wood says
Thanks for the Pin Alli. Momma’s are the best cooks, aren’t they! I didn’t completely reveal Momma’s recipe because I changed it up a bit so I really revealed my own. My mother was one of those ladies who didn’t always share her recipes exactly the way she prepared them herself.
This cake is a big hit with all chocolate lovers! Please tag me on FB when you make it and share yours!