Malt v. Mint?: Minty Chocolate Malt Cake

I've made a lot of chocolate-mint baked goods in my time, but I don't think I've ever combined chocolate, mint, and malt. So I was intrigued by Yossy Arefi's "Minty Chocolate Malt Cake" from Snacking Cakes. The headnote says that the malt powder "gives this cake an additional layer of flavor that you can't quite put your finger on unless you know it's there."

The cake batter comes together quickly. You whisk eggs with brown sugar until pale and foamy; add oil, milk, vanilla extract, mint extract, and salt; mix in sifted malted milk powder and cocoa powder; add flour, baking powder, and baking soda; and stir in hot coffee. I made a double batch of the recipe and poured the batter into a parchment-lined 9-inch by 13-inch pan. 

My cake rose quite a bit during baking, with the center forming a pronounced dome with a conspicuous wide crack down the middle. The batter in the interior of the crevasse was still slightly damp when the remainder of the cake tested done and I took it of the oven. I let the cake cool completely before adding a glaze made from powdered sugar, cocoa powder, softened butter, mint extract, salt, and a little boiling water. The glaze filled in and disguised the crack on the top of the cake (which had settled a bit as the cake cooled), and it set up shiny and semi-firm. When I moved the glazed cake from a cooling rack to a cutting board, the cake flexed a bit and the glaze developed some superficial cracks.

The cake was moist and very chocolate-y, with a light crumb. I loved the fudgy glaze, which added a lot of flavor and had a luxurious texture; I wouldn't have minded if there was more of it! However, I wish that the mint flavor in this cake had been stronger. The reason I like the combination of mint and chocolate so much is that the intense cooling sensation of mint cuts through the richness of the chocolate; I like my chocolate-mint to be super minty. But this cake was not mint forward. I couldn't help wondering about the malt powder, which did add a certain something to the cake -- but I don't know how I feel about it. Malt powder has a warm, toasty flavor that in some respects would seem to have the opposite effect of mint. I enjoyed this cake, but wouldn't make it again.

Recipe: "Minty Chocolate Malt Cake" from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi.