Chocolate Malt Layer Cake

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Put a piece of parchment or a Silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or Silpat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scrap” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.

2. layer 1, the bottom

   Step 2

   Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment or a Silpat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring.

   Step 3

   Put the cake scraps inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.

   Step 4

   Dunk a pastry brush in the Ovaltine soak and give the layer of cake a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.

   Step 5

   Use the back of a spoon to spread one-fifth of the malt fudge sauce in an even layer over the cake. (Helpful hint: the warmer the fudge sauce, the easier it is to spread.)

   Step 6

   Sprinkle half of the malted milk crumbs and one-third of the charred marshmallows evenly over the malt fudge sauce. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.

   Step 7

   Use the back of a spoon to spread another fifth of the malt fudge sauce as evenly as possible over the crumbs and marshmallows.

3. layer 2, the middle

   Step 8

   With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall—high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Set a cake round on top of the sauce and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top).

4. layer 3, the top

   Step 9

   Nestle the remaining cake round into the sauce. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining fudge sauce. Since it’s a sauce, not a frosting, here you have no choice but to make a shiny, perfectly flat top. Garnish with the remaining charred marshmallows.

   Step 10

   Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set the cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

   Step 11

   At least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. If storing the cake for longer, do not cover with plastic wrap—it will tear the malt fudge off the cake! Instead, get a big bowl, flip it upside down, and use it to protect the cake (or invest in a cake carrier). Stored in this way, the cake will keep fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.

   Step 12

   Slice the cake into wedges and serve.