Chocolate Malt Berry Cake

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Yield: 8-inch cake

3 1/2 cup fresh berries (mixture of sliced strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
sifted powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease pans and dust with cake flour. Tap out any excess flour. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together cake flour, sugar, malted milk powder, baking powder, salt. Connect paddle attachment to stand mixer. Mixing on low speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time. Mix on low speed until mixture resembles coarse sand.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add half of mixture to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Add remaining liquid mixture. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Increase speed and mix until batter is fluffy.
Divide batter among the prepared cake pans. Level off batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Allow cakes in cool in pan for 5-8 minutes before unmolding. Allow cake layers to cool to room temperature on wire rack before assembling cake.

Stir together milk, Ovaltine, and malted milk powder until smooth. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Scrape down bowl as needed.
Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add half to stand mixer and mix until almost incorporated. Add half of malted milk mixture. Mix on low speed. Add remaining half of powdered sugar, followed by remaining malted milk mixture. Add salt. Increase speed and whip until buttercream comes together. Buttercream may separate at first. Continue to beat until the mixture comes together.

If necessary, level off cooled cake layers. Place one layer on serving plate. Spread a little under 1/3 of chocolate malt buttercream over cake layer.
Arrange about 1/3 of mixed berries over buttercream. Gently press berries into buttercream.
Spread a dollop of buttercream over berries. This will act as the glue to bind the second cake layer to the first. Repeat with second cake layer. Spread remaining buttercream over the final third cake layer. Arrange remaining berries on top of cake.
Chill cake for at least 30 minutes until buttercream has set. If buttercream starts to separate or warm up while you assemble the cake, simply place cake in the fridge to chill down buttercream.
Before serving, let cake to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow cake to soften. Immediately before serving, dust the top of cake with powdered sugar.

vanilla malt cake adapted from Hungry Rabbit
This cake will keep chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days. Depending on the freshness of your berries, cake may not last as long. Overtime berries will expel moisture and start to mold.