Malted Chocolate Cake with Lavender Oolong Buttercream
Makes 1three-layer 6-inch cake
Ingredients
Malted Chocolate Cake
2cupsall-purpose flour
2cupsgranulated sugar
1/2cup+ 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4cupmalted milk powder
2teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
2eggs
2cupscold coffee
1/2cupoil
2teaspoonsvinegar
Lavender Oolong Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1cupunsalted butter
2 1/2tablespoonoolong tea leaves
1tablespoonculinary lavender
4egg whites
1cupgranulated sugar
Instructions
Malted Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350F and grease three cake pans.
In a large bowl, whisk to combine flour, sugar, cocoa, malted milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the remainder of the ingredients to this dry mixture and mix until incorporated. Since this is a oil-based chocolate cake, your batter will be thinner. Don't worry, it's normal!
Divide the mixture evenly among the three prepared cake pans and bake for 33 - 35 minutes. You can test for doneness by using a toothpick (it should come out clean) or by gently pressing your finger on the cake - it should spring back up. Let the cake layers cool completely before layering.
Lavender Oolong Swiss Meringue Buttercream
In a small saucepan over medium-heat, combine the butter with the oolong tea leaves and lavender. Once the butter mixture has reached a light boil, simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove butter mixture from heat and let tea leaves and lavender steep for roughly 20 minutes.
Carefully pour the butter mixture through a fine-meshed strainer to remove all tea and lavender pieces. Allow the butter to solidify back to room temperature before using it to make the buttercream.
Place egg whites and sugar into a stainless steel or glass bowl, and place the bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water. Continuously whisk the egg whites and sugar together until sugar has melted.
Remove bowl from heat and beat mixture on high until the egg white and sugar mixture is white and fluffy.
Once the mixture has cooled a bit, start adding the butter gradually. This is the part where you have to trust that the buttercream will turn out. It might look kind of lumpy but just keep on mixing until buttercream is smooth and fluffy.