Chocolate Malted Cupcakes

Go. Get a fork. Get one now and come take a bite of this cupcake...yum. Double yum. These really are a cross between a cupcake and a pile of sweet, creamy, decadence. They were not really meant to be a cupcake and so they don't take quite so well to the role, but they taste amazing! Let me explain...

It all started with the 6 week body makeover diet. Day number 4 and I am jonesing for something sweet to eat. Moreove, I am jonesing to bake!! So...throwing caution to the winds I decided to try this amazing malted milk ball cake recipe. Turns out, I was short on ingredients and short on people to eat my confections. Thus the recipe was modified slightly and paired down. Don't worry, I will still share. Oh yes, they alllll will be shared. Anyways, seeing as how I'm not allowed to eat these cupcakes on my diet one might wonder how I know these are delicious? Yup, that's right. I took a big fa bite of an entire cupcake...it was buttery, chocolatey, nutty goodness.

These are malted milkball cupcakes with a frosting that is divine. It's made from dulce de leche (essentially baked milk caramel, yum!!) and chocolate Ovaltine powder. It's crazy good.

Chocolate Malted Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 cup chocolate malt powder
1 stick salted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup ice cold water
2 large egg whites

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Whisk in the chocolate malt powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vanilla, and sugar together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, alternating with the ice water, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Do not over-beat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pan (there may be some left over), filling each cupcake about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before taking the cupcakes out of the pan.

Chocolate Malt Glaze

1 cup dulce de leche (store bought or homemade, I made mine using a recipe from David Lebovitz)
1 cup chocolate malt powder

Whisk both ingredients together until smooth. Spoon on top of cooled cupcakes and top with a malted milk ball. Eat!

Cupcakes adapted from Baked:New Frontiers in Baking