Amazingly moist and rich with a creamy malted chocolate frosting, this is a perfect cake to make any day special!

Holidays and special occasions are great for fancy desserts. Typically we have homemade cake or cookies for birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and maybe a couple of other special occasions.

But really, what are we saving all the yumminess for? Once in a while, we should make some cake on a regular weekday, and turn it into an impromptu special family gathering!

Hey, are you looking for something super easy with minimal ingredients? Hop on over to my Crock Pot Guinness Chocolate Cake recipe. Only 5 ingredients!

This idea is particularly appealing to me right now as we are preparing to send Thing 1 off to college. I am trying to enjoy every minute with him, since I know that this is one of those thresholds in life, which, once you cross it, there is no going back!

So I was really excited to have the opportunity to take a look at the Cake Magic! cookbook, which is all about making cakes that are super-special, yet not difficult.

I love its concept of mixing different basic combinations of cake, syrup, and frosting, to result in a delicious and unique cake every time.

As I was reading through, I thought to myself that these cakes will also be the PERFECT lure to get Thing 1 to come home and visit once in a while, haha!

But I am getting a little ahead of myself. He is not gone yet, so in the last couple of days that he is home, we had this Malted Chocolate Stout Cake.

Dessert always makes everyone linger a bit longer at the dinner table, which is exactly what I was going for!

The cookbook not only has a ton of amazing yet easy recipes, but it also contains helpful tips for baking, decorating, and of course, features GORGEOUS pictures of cakes and cupcakes!

The book itself is really neat. Caroline Wright, the author, has introduced an innovative and easy new way to make 100 delectable, flavorful cakes. Her simple five-ingredient homemade dry mix forms the foundation for every cake in the book.

Once you have the cake it is just a matter of mixing and matching a batter, flavoring syrup, frosting, and occasional topping! Wright’s mix-and-match method makes it possible to introduce nearly endless changes on the same basic cake batter just by switching up the flavoring syrups and frostings.

Make sure you check out this interview with Caroline, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Malted Chocolate Stout Cake If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! I also invite you to follow me on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, or INSTAGRAM to keep up with what's going on in my kitchen.

Malted Chocolate Stout Cake Print Recipe Recipe Author: Kristin A deliciously decadent and chocolatey cake.

Ingredients For the CakeMagic Cake Mix: 2½ cups all-purpose flour 2½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups sugar 1½ cups sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt (see Note) 1 teaspoon table salt (see Note) For the Cake: Unsalted butter (at room temperature, for greasing the pans) Unsalted butter (at room temperature, for greasing the pans)

½ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting the pans) ½ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting the pans)

4 cups dry Cake Magic! Cake Mix (ingredients listed above), whisked well before measuring) 4 cups dry Cake Magic! Cake Mix (ingredients listed above), whisked well before measuring)

¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt (preferably not Greek yogurt) ¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt (preferably not Greek yogurt)

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or 1 cup vegetable oil (2 sticks) 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or 1 cup vegetable oil (2 sticks)

1 cup brewed espresso (cooled) 1 cup brewed espresso (cooled)

4 large eggs (at room temperature) 4 large eggs (at room temperature) For the Stout Syrup: ½ cup sugar ½ cup sugar

½ stout beer (such as Guinness) ½ stout beer (such as Guinness)

Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt Pinch of salt For the Malted Milk Chocolate Frosting: 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (3 sticks) 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)

¾ cup malted milk powder ¾ cup malted milk powder

Pinch of salt Pinch of salt

4 cups confectioner's sugar (one 16-oz box) 4 cups confectioner's sugar (one 16-oz box)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces semisweet chocolate (melted and cooled) 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (melted and cooled) Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and side of the pan(s). Dust with coca powder to coat, then invert and tap out any excess. (If making cupcakes, use liners instead of greasing and coating the tins.)

Whisk together the ½ cup cocoa powder, cake mix, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt, butter, espresso, and eggs until moistened and no lumps remain (be careful not to overmix). Divide the batter between the prepared pans.

Bake until the layers are domed and a few moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted in the center of the cake, 32 to 36 minutes (40 to 45 minutes for a Bundt, 25 to 35 minutes for a 13 by 9-inch cake, and 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes). (At this point, coat the layers with syrup as directed and let them cool completely in the pans.)

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the sugar, stout beer, nutmeg and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Use the syrup warm or let it stand, covered, until it reaches room temperature.

After removing the cake layers from the oven, pierce them (still in the pans) at 1-inch intervals with a skewer or paring knife. Pour or brush the syrup over the layers, dividing it evenly. Set the layers aside, in the pans, on a wire rack to cool completely. (The syrup will soak into the cakes.)

When the cakes are cool and no longer wet to the touch, 1 to 2 hours, make the frosting: Combine the butter, malted milk powder, salt, and 2 cups of the sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the remaining sugar and beat on medium speed until the frosting is pale and no longer grainy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla. In a slow, steady stream, drizzle in the chocolate and beat until the frosting is very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Run a knife, or an offset spatula, around the edge of one of the cake layers to loosen it. (Turn the layers out of their pans 1 by 1, as you frost them.) Place the layer on a cake plate with strips of waxed, or parchment, paper underneath; these will catch any drips and keep your cake plate clean. Spread the layer with about a third of the frosting on top.

Frost the rest. Run a knife, or an offset spatula, around the edge of the remaining cake layer. Invert it onto the frosted layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Notes It’s important to use table salt in the cake mix; other types will eventually settle out of the mix. Nutrition Calories: 10158 kcal | Carbohydrates: 1280 g | Protein: 94 g | Fat: 544 g | Saturated Fat: 334 g | Cholesterol: 1928 mg | Sodium: 8233 mg | Potassium: 3310 mg | Fiber: 31 g | Sugar: 966 g | Vitamin A: 15580 IU | Vitamin C: 3.6 mg | Calcium: 1039 mg | Iron: 31.9 mg Tried this recipe? Mention @dizzybusyandhungry or tag #dizzybusyandhungry

Recipe used with permission from Workman Publishing Company.

Sponsored by Workman Publishing, our #WeekdaySupper event features Cake Magic! by Caroline Wright. This highly-visual cookbook guides you in applying a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style to baking cakes. Wright shares her mix-and-match method introducing endless changes on the same basic cake batter by changing flavoring syrups and frostings! Create some everyday magic with your family with a “School Lunch Cake” before they head back to school. Celebrate the finale of summer with friends and serve up “Blueberry Lemon-Ricotta Cake” and look forward to the comfort of fall flavors with a “Caramel Apple Cake!” You will discover endless possibilities with Wright’s flavoring syrups and frostings!

You can find out more about Workman Publishing on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Would you like to see what other amazing cakes you can make? Check out a few more cake recipes from the Cake Magic cookbook!

Week 1

Strawberry Lemon Cake {Gluten Free} from Family Foodie

Confetti Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Fresh Blueberry Cake from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Dream Cake from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Best Blackout Cake from The Chef Next Door

Week 2

Strawberry Lemon Cake from Magnolia Days

Confetti Cake {Gluten-Free} from Desserts Required

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cake from Meal Planning Magic

Southern Diner Cake from Grumpy’s Honeybunch

This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing Company in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.