* Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don’t, so I’ll leave that up to you as it won’t affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you’d need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
* CAN THIS CAKE BE MADE GLUTEN FREE?
* Although you can make this cake gluten free, because Maltesers and malt powder are not gluten free, it will end up being a chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream. So this changes the recipe into something totally different! If you still want to go ahead, you will need to replace the malt powder with the same amount of self raising flour. In turn, the self raising flour will need to be replaced with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you’d need to add an additional 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ½ tsp xanthan gum for better texture.
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