This easy Ovaltine cake is a rich, malty loaf made in one bowl, ready in about 40 minutes and perfect with afternoon tea.
I have recently realised that I cannot live without cake. Cake is not merely a dessert to me; it is a mood, a fragrance, a small domestic ceremony. I thrive on baking cake, eating cake and, most of all, breathing in the warm smell of a freshly baked cake as it fills the kitchen.
I started baking because I loved eating cake. Now that baking is my business, the relationship has become slightly unfair: I bake more and eat less. Still, whenever I am not working on an order for a few days, I begin to suffer from what I can only describe as cakelessness. The cure is simple. I bake something to lift my mood.
At the office, my favourite afternoon snack is a cup of milk tea with a slice of Star Bakery’s vanilla loaf cake. It is a modest but deeply satisfying treat. A few days ago, a friend brought me a slice of Star Bakery’s Ovaltine Cake. It was soft, deliciously malty and wonderfully suited to tea. The flavour stayed in my mind long after the plate was empty.
Yesterday, while I was at home, the craving arrived during afternoon tea. I suddenly wanted an Ovaltine cake—not tomorrow, not after a visit to the bakery, but immediately. My wish is my command. Within forty minutes, I was sitting with a warm slice of homemade Ovaltine cake and a cup of tea.
To be honest, I did not measure everything with the seriousness of a professional recipe developer. I trusted my instincts, used the ingredients I had available and hoped for the best. Fortunately, the cake turned out so delicious that I felt obliged to share it with my readers.
This is a very easy one-bowl cake. There is no need to prepare separate wet and dry mixtures or add the ingredients in complicated stages. Put everything into one bowl, give it a good stir and send it into the oven. The result is a soft, chocolatey, malty loaf with a beautiful Ovaltine flavour.
½ cup Ovaltine, or a little more for a stronger malt flavour
30 grams cocoa powder
¼ cup Horlicks or another malted drink powder
¾ cup sugar, or slightly less
¾ cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ cup warm full-cream milk
¼ teaspoon salt
How to make Ovaltine cake
Procrastinate. This step is important for the emotional preparation required before baking.
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and lightly butter the sides.
Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir everything together until well combined and smooth. There is no wet-bowl-and-dry-bowl ceremony here. Everything goes in together. Add the warm milk carefully—we want a thick, pourable cake batter, not a chocolate drink.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the cake to rest for a few minutes before slicing. It is especially wonderful when served warm with a cup of milk tea.
The combination of cocoa, Ovaltine and Horlicks gives this cake a deep, comforting malted flavour. It is sweet, soft and just chocolatey enough without becoming heavy. The sunflower oil keeps the loaf moist, while the warm milk helps bring everything together.
And now, a small warning: do not casually offer this cake to your guests unless you are prepared to lose half of it. If you keep it in the refrigerator, write a note on the container saying, “Save some for me.” Otherwise, someone may kindly finish it in the name of hospitality.
As for me, I plan to keep a slice for tomorrow’s tea—provided I can resist eating it tonight.
