Posted on by Deb

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Malted Fudge Frosting

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Malted Fudge Frosting

Butterflies in Winter

Monarch butterfly at rest

“A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well–or ill?”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The annual migration of the Monarch butterfly is fascinating. Each winter Monarchs on the western side of the Rocky Mountains migrate from as far away as Canada to Pacific Grove, Twin Bridges State Park and Pismo Beach along the central coast of California. Year after year they return to the same three areas. Here along the coast they find shelter and food from November to March of each year. A Monarch that winters in coastal California does not live to make the return trip the following winter. Five generations of Monarchs have lived and died during the course of the year. Scientists are unsure how the Monarch navigates to the same place year after year. They speculate that the earth’s magnetic field, the position of the sun or the Monarchs “internal clock” guide their annual migration.

Butterflies and cupcakes

I visited the Butterfly Trees to see the Monarchs over-wintering habitat in Pacific Grove. The Monarchs are elusive. Hidden from view they cluster in trees and only unfold their graceful wings and flit about when the temperature is 55° or warmer. The best time to visit is on a sunny winter day at noon.

Just like the Monarch I return to familiar places of memory. Malted milk candy is reminiscent of Saturdays spent with my Dad. Those Saturdays feel like a lifetime ago. Before we returned home we would stop for candy and ice cream. Malted milk balls were one of my favorites. At first I was glad to escape chores and my younger brothers. As the day wore on I grew bored listening to my Dad and his uncanny ability to strike up conversations wherever we went. I waited impatiently as he told the same stories over and over again. When I was older I asked he why he retold the same stories. He said he wanted us to remember him and his life when he was gone. He has been gone since 2006. I miss him and his stories very much.

Making cupcakes

Essentials

I obsessed about making Malted Chocolate Cupcakes for weeks. I wanted a moist chocolate cake that just used butter and no oil. All butter results in a flat topped cupcake; but it has a richer flavor. There was to be a balance between the deep rich chocolate and the sweet malt flavor. Too much chocolate and the malt would be lost. I ended up developing my own recipe and am glad I did. There is just enough chocolate to complement the malt in a rich moist cupcake. Malted milk power can be found in the grocery store usually near the hot chocolate.

I tried the recipe for Malted Milk Chocolate Frosting from Vintage Cakes but it was too soft to pipe. I started adding powdered sugar to the recipe but then the frosting became so sweet I lost the taste of the malted milk and the milk chocolate. Disappointed I made a White Chocolate Malted Frosting which is as malty as I envisioned but is more like fudge than frosting. Cupcakes and fudge are a very seductive combination.

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Malted Fudge Frosting

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes
2C/240gr all purpose flour
1t/5gr baking powder
1t/6gr baking soda
1t/6gr salt
1-1/2C/150gr malted milk powder
1/2C/40gr unsweetened cocoa powder
1C/226gr unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2C/90gr sugar
3/4C/150gr brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1t white vinegar
1C/8oz buttermilk White Chocolate Malted Fudge Frosting
1-1/2C/250gr best quality white chocolate, chopped
3/4C/87gr unsalted butter, room temperature
1C/100gr malted milk powder, sifted
4C/480gr powdered sugar, sifted
1t vanilla
3T milk
20 malted milk balls
  1. To make the cupcakes: Heat the oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. I made 20 cupcakes.
  2. Sift or shake though a sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, malted milk powder and cocoa. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until softened. Add both sugars and mix to combine throughly. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing throughly.
  4. In three additions, add the flour, vinegar and buttermilk alternately to the bowl. Mix after each addition. Mix just until combined; do not over mix. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottoms of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients in the cake batter.
  5. Fill the prepared pans 3/4 full of batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool throughly before frosting.
  6. To make the frosting: Over a double boiler or in the microwave melt the white chocolate. Stir and set aside to cool before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
  7. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until soft. Add the malted milk powder and mix until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until combined. Mix in the cooled white chocolate. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until desired piping consistency is achieved.
  8. Pipe frosting on top of each cupcake. Add a malted milk ball on top of each frosted cupcake.

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes

Butterflies and lace

Monarch butterflies

Monarch butterflies

Monarch butterflies

36 Replies to “Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Malted Fudge Frosting”

  1. I wanted to try these cupcakes this weekend–I’ve been searching for a Chocolate Malt cupcake recipe that used butter instead of oil. I didn’t see an amount listed for the cocoa powder though in the ingredients list. I was wondering how much I should use. 🙂 Also, many thanks for including the weights! I bake by weight and not many recipes I find include them.

    1. Good catch Kelsey! I updated the recipe to include 1/2 cup or 40 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder. Happy baking!

  2. I’ve got a thing for butterflies, and this post reminds me of why – whimsical, full of childhood memories and pretty too. Everything your cupcakes are!

  3. I absolutely adore butterflies! One of my favourite places to visit is the butterfly conservatory at the Falls. These cupcakes sound and look delicious and your photos are wonderful!

  4. Deb, the images or the butterflies are absolutely stunning. And of course, I want one of those cupcakes immediately! 🙂

  5. Those cupcakes look so tempting and must taste extremely good! Pretty butterflies and quote too.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  6. Yum, yum, yum! These look so creamy and a perfect combination of the malt and chocolate. What nice memories of your dad. It is funny how we look back on what behaviors used to annoy us as kids and now we wish so greatly they would reoccur. This was a touching post and the butterflies are breathtaking. How lucky you get a chance to see (and photograph!) them.

  7. I was just reading about Monarchs in the news the other day. There’s a migration that passes through Austin in October on the way to Mexico. We always see lots of butterflies in October, but about seven years ago, several of them stopped over in our backyard for a night. There were swarms of them in our trees and bamboo plants. I have photos of all those pretty wings. I just read in the news that that population has drastically declined in the last couple of years. Hopefully it bounces back. I’d love to have a swarm in our yard again! And, these cupcakes look amazing. I love, love malted milk and that frosting sounds like perfection.

    1. Thank you for your lovely comment Lisa! I can only imagine the excitement of swarming Monarch’s in your backyard. What a time of magic!

    1. If you enjoy “malted” these cupcakes will satisfy the craving! Thank you for commenting Lynda!

  9. Loving the beautiful butterflies. Our butterfly population has been in decline here in the UK. Probably much to do with crop spraying, less wild land for them to feed from, as well as our seemingly increasingly wet climate (boo!). I always give an inner cheer when I see one in our butterfly-friendly garden but it will be awhile yet before it is warm enough for them to emerge. Love the malted cupcake recipe too. Believe it or not I do something similar but with chocolate beetroot cake. But certainly not as pretty!

    1. Thank you for your lovely comment Kellie! Chocolate cake with beets is on my “to try” list. I imagine the beets insure the cake stays very moist!

  11. Capturing the butterflies in flight is a real art, Deb, and you’ve done an exquisite job! It is heartbreaking to read about their decline. I used to enjoy their migration when I was growing up in Nebraska.

  12. Beautiful photos Deb – the butterflies and the cupcakes. I LOVE malt in anything. It has such a nostalgic essence to it. When I really want to treat myself to something decadent, I head to my local ice cream store and order a chocolate malt. I’ve had a cake on the bake burner to make and post about. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy your cupcakes.

  14. Those butterflies are so pretty, and I realize I haven´t seen one in ages. They used to be pretty common when I was a kid, from what I recall. About frostings, I have the same issue with them being too sweet by the time they hold enough to pipe. Adding white chocolate is a great idea Deb! Love this recipe!

    1. Yes, the butterfly population is declining as are many other species. This year no Monarchs over-wintered at Twin Bridges State Park. No one knows if the Monarchs will return next year. The Monarchs are as beautiful as they are ethereal. I felt compelled to capture just a moment of their beauty. Thank you your lovely comment Paula!

  17. beautiful butterflies (I love visiting Pacific Grove), and lovely to capture and return to a memory with vintage malted chocolate cupcakes- a sweet and beautiful post all around

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