Raise your hand if you LOVE malted milk balls!

It's no secret that I LOVE all things sugary and sweet...find it nearly impossible to turn anything down that even resembles a cake, cookie, pie, bar, brownie, crumble, candy...well, you get the idea. And as much as I like high end desserts (think French pastries) and chocolates (think La Maison du Chocolat in Paris) I am often just as happy with a Snickers or Butterfingers candy bar...which brings me to my absolute devotion to malted milk balls...their thick outer layer of chocolate combined with their crunchy malt interior just drives me wild with excitement.

Now, of course, there are the Whopper variety, which will do in a pinch. It was certainly the brand of choice (well, alright the only choice) during my childhood. However, over the years I have done exhaustive research...from local candy shops in Los Angeles to Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC to various "bon bon" shops in Paris and throughout the French countryside. I have found decadent Espresso Malt Balls, Easter Egg size Malt Balls in pastel colors and everything in between. I could eat these things day in and day out if anyone would let me...then again who's to stop me!

So, imagine my delight when I opened my "BAKED - New Frontiers in Baking" book by the fabulous Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito and found a recipe for a stunning Milk Chocolate Malt Ball Cake. It's three layers high, chock full of malted milk and decorated with malted milk balls...can you even believe that such a thing exists?! I was beyond happy...I literally floated on air while reading the recipe.

Oh, be still my heart!

I set about to make this beauty queen and along the way ate so many malted milk balls (of the Easter Egg size variety no less) that it's a miracle I am still here today to tell the story. It is simply delicious and I implore you to make it straight away.

That's really all I have to say for the moment...now go forth and BAKE mes filles (et gracons)!

xoxo Nanci