The Ninth day of Christmas falls on a very important day, Isaac Asimov's Birthday! Oh, and mine too. What better thing to eat on this day, than this malty chocolatey cake, topped with Maltesers, like little naked suns. The cake you can eat between meals!
140g Softened Butter
175g Golden Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
225g Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour
50g Cocoa Powder
50g Malt Drinking Powder e.g. Ovaltine
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
250g Natural Yoghurt
Topping
300g Golden Icing Sugar
2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp melted butter
3 to 4 tbsp boiling water
1 bag of Maltesers
1. Preheat Oven to 180C & butter and line an 18 by 27cm baking tin.
2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl till fluffy with a whisk then beat in the eggs one at a time. Unless your name is Barry Allen I'd recommend an electric whisk. It'll be ready in a flash!
3. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, Bicarbonate of Soda and Malt powder to the bowl.
4. Add the Yoghurt and gently stir till well mixed.
5. Pour into the baking tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Stick a knife a couple of times in the middle of the baked cake, if it comes out clean it's done, if not then bake it for a few more minutes & try again. Repeat until done.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes then tip it onto a wire wrack and leave it to cool completely.
7. Make up the icing by sifting the icing sugar into a bowl, adding the boiled water and melted butter and stirring until smooth.
8. Spread onto the top of the cake.
9. Cut the cake into 12, one for each of the days of Christmas.
10. Cut the Maltesers in half with a sharp knife and use them to decorate each of the pieces of cake. Some will disintegrate in the cutting and will need disposing of
This cake with a glass of wine will form the foundation of a very nice Christmas feast.
