vanilla bean malt bundt cake.

Finally! My pictures are visible again and... I got myself a new plate! I've always wanted a wooden one but they're pretty expensive, so when I saw some on sale, I pounced, quite literally. There were 5 left on the shelf and I was about to just pick one up and leave when I noticed that the plate behind the one I took had a slightly different pattern and shade from the one I was holding. Out of curiosity, I briefly scanned the other plates too and realized that they were all slightly different! Well, I shouldn't have been surprised- how can you possibly get identical plates if they're made from something as natural and non-man-made as wood? And it wasn't just the pattern and color, even though the plates were of the same size, they weighed differently too. In particular, I noticed that the darker ones were heavier than those lighter in shade. It's amazing. It's as if the plates are like people- unique.

You could say that I baked this cake so that I could use my newest purchase of my plate collection (I have a thing for pretty plates- it's an addiction). But even if you don't have a new plate to show off, you should bake this cake just because it's so darn delicious. It's more than just your average vanilla cake. You know how brown sugar adds depth to a cake? The malt powder does the same job, with a different flavour. But it's not just some ingredient that is merely meant to be a supporting role to the main flavour of the cake, like instant coffee is to chocolate cake, because it's noticeable.

I like to underbake my cakes slightly so that they're nicely moist and I think this made the malt flavour pop even more. I love the bottom part of the cake where it's dense and moister than other parts, because that's where the malt flavour concentrates at. The surface of the cake gets a little sticky and would usually be such a source of annoyance but it tastes. so. good.

More malty recipes making their way to this space soon. You can bet your 1 stick of butter on it.

Vanilla Bean Malt Bundt Cake
adapted from Baked Elements

Instead of using a vanilla bean/vanilla bean paste + bourbon, I used 2 tsp of bourbon vanilla extract instead. I omitted the glaze.

For the cake:
1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp bourbon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tbsp malted milk powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a 6-cup or 10-cup bundt pan.

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add it to a bowl with the bourbon. Alternatively, simply stir together the vanilla bean paste and bourbon.

Whisk the flour, milk powder, baking powder and salt together.

Cream the butter until smooth. Add in the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, then the egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla mixture and stir to combine. Add flour mixture in 2 additions and the buttermilk in one, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out mostly clean. Cool in the pan for 45 minutes before unmolding onto a rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: Whisk the icing sugar, milk and vanilla together until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. Let it set for 15 minutes before slicing.