Because it’s Australia Day on Sunday, the 26th, I made you this epic MILO ICE CREAM CAKE!
You: But Sarah, what is Milo? I’ve never heard of it before. You look great today by the way. I love your outfit.
Me: Why thank you! I’ve been wearing oversized t-shirts and grotty pyjama pants for years – when you find something that works for you, you stick with it, amirite? About the Milo. It’s amazing. Prepare to meet your new best friend in the kitchen.
You: New best friend? I’m pretty close with my waffle maker.
Me: I know how close you are with Warren. But seriously, Milo is the best. It’s a weird, crunchy, slightly salty, chocolate malt energy drink powder. I say energy drink powder, because that’s how they market it here in Aus. We have a weird tradition of chocolate breakfast foods being marketed as ‘healthy’. Nutella ads, for example, are directed at parents, trying to encourage them that Nutella is a nutritious breakfast spread for their kids.
You: That’s so weird. Nutella is obviously just a delicious chocolate goo, made for adults to eat directly out of the jar in times of crisis.
Me: I know, right? Anyway, they do the same thing with Milo, market it as an energy drink, when all good Australians know that it’s the perfect chocolaty drink for any time of day, hot or cold, or spooned straight from the tin into your mouth, or sprinkled over ice cream. It’s an all purpose ingredient.
You: Right now I’m just interested in one purpose. This cake.
Me: It took me a while to come up with this, I won’t lie. I was trying to think of something really Australian to bake, but all we’ve got is pavlova and lamingtons. So I turned to Milo.
Let me break it down for you. This baby’s got layers of moist chocolate malt cake, the middle is vanilla ice cream filled with crunchy milo crumbles, and then I pour a hot malted chocolate sauce over the top, before finishing with another pile of Milo crumbles. AND THEN WE DANCE!
You: So this is how you’re celebrating Australia Day?
Me: Yup! Plus we usually all go to someone’s house for a barbecue in the back yard with plenty of cold drinks while we listen to the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. It’s tradition. Like our version of the 4th of July. There’s usually fireworks, too.
You: That sounds awesome, can I come hang with you?
Me: OF COURSE YOU CAN!!! I would love that.
Me: So what do you think? Would you make this? And can anyone think of anything else that is really Australian? I was stumped.
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!! (on Sunday)
xx Sarah.
- 1 + ¼ cups (190g) plain flour
- 1 + ½ cups (335g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (50g) malt powder (Horlicks, Ovaltine)
- ¼ cup (30g) cocoa
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 + ½ cups (375ml) boiling water
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (125ml) canola oil
- ⅓ cup (50g) flour
- ⅓ cup (40g) milk powder
- ⅓ cup (40g) Milo
- ⅓ cup (40g) cocoa
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 6 tbsp (85g) butter
- 1 L Vanilla Ice Cream (homemade or storebought)
- ⅓ cup (85ml) cream
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- ¼ cup (25g) malt powder (Horlicks, Ovaltine, Milo)
- 6 oz (150g) dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp glucose or light corn syrup
- First, make the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/375F, and grease and line a 8 inch/18cm cake tin.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and add the hot water, ½ a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add in the eggs, mixing well after each addition, and finally the canola oil. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Next make the crumbs.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Slowly stream in the butter, beating all the while, until the mixture is totally homogenised and can be squeezed together into clumps.
- Spread the mixture onto a lined baking tray and place in the oven (with the cake) for 10 minutes. Watch it carefully, as it burns easily.
- Once the crumbs are done (firm and slightly crisp), and the cake is baked, let them cool completely.
- To make the hot fudge, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a low heat until the mixture is melted and shiny.
- To assemble the ice cream cake, line an 18cm/8inch cake tin with plastic wrap.
- Slice the chocolate cake into two even layers and place one of them in the base of the tin.
- Fold ⅔ of the milo crumbles through the vanilla ice cream, and layer that onto the cake base.
- Top with remaining cake layer, wrap in cling film and freeze for at least 2 hours, or for up to 1 month.
- To serve the cake, let it rest out of the freezer for 10-15 minutes, then pour over the hot fudge, top with the remaining Milo crumbs, and eat!
this looks so good! one of our professors is from Australia, and she puts on an “Australia Day” event every year; i didn’t know it was an actual holiday! I always thought that it was something she did just to share with us! Happy Australia Day!
This sums up Australia Day pretty nicely! Looks amazing!
I found Milo last year and have been obsessed ever since! I just love it :) and I love this ice cream cake, looks amazing!
Woah! This looks seriously delicious. Never heard of Milo here in the UK but I definitely want to be BFFs.
Nelly, you can buy it from Ocado or online from any South African store.
Oh cool, thanks for sharing that info, Debi!
I wish I could celebrate Australia day with you! Would this cake be there, by chance? But, even if not, I’d still like to hang out with you. But, you would make the cake, right?
I’m a comin’ and I’m bringing cake! Because, Australia!
i’m not australian … but i would still definitely enjoy this!! happy australia day! (and ps… nutella and milo are both totally health foods!)
I am so glad to meet milo, sounds like a DELICIOUUUS new addition to my liiife. Especially with this cake! Dying!
This looks so delicious! I love Milo. I used it to make ice cream sandwiches last summer–I put it in the chocolate chip cookies and in the ice cream so they were double malt. I’ll have to try this cake once it warms up in New England. Happy Australia Day!
This cake is insaaaaane! Omg. so delicious!
Oh my. This is so beautiful! You photographed the hell out of that cake! And I WANT A SLICE
That is straight up Food Porn at it’s finest..
I think I might have to celebrate Australia Day in the states with me, myself and this cake.
I’m dead now. Those crumbles- I can’t even. Made some of my first Momofuku corn flake crumbs last weekend and it was magical.
Me: OMG this is literally the best thing on the internet of all time
You: Whatevs just another day in the kitchen
*mike drop*
That is one fierce cake, way to represent!!
You are an evil GENIUS! Milo is the ultimate ice cream partner, in my opinion. Up until now I was happy with making ‘healthy’ lamingtons – maybe I’ll make those for the Monday beach picnic, and make this cake for the actual Australia Day on Sunday. We Aussies know how to celebrate our awesome country – a holiday that spans 2 days!
SARAH! This looks insane. that is all.
Oh, my. How insanely rich and decadent!
Oh my goodness!! I have a container of milo at my house that I’ve been DYING to use!! This looks so good!
And my birthday is on Australia day! I went skiing last year, and there were so many guys with nothing on but shorts and an Australia flag as a cape, skiing past everyone saying “Happy Australia day!” It was a pretty great day.
Yes, we are a very classy nation.
I could not be missing home more right now. Or Milo. You are basically my hero.
This is an intense ice cream cake! (The way all ice cream cakes should be,) Sounds like I need to get my hands on some Milo.
I laughed my way through this entire post.. hilarious! I loved malted chocolate.
Nutella was a pretend healthy food here in canada too until recently.. I still pretend in my heart though
Okay, I can’t believe I’m the first one to tackle the subject of other Australian foods, but here goes:
VEGEMITE. DUH.
Tim Tams
Violet Crumble
Bundaberg
Anzac biscuits
Can you please work these into a cake as well?
Speaking of cakes, YES PLEASE. I’ll take a dozen, thank you. Milo was never quiiiiite my thing but I can definitely see the appeal when mixing it with ice cream, fudge sauce, and cake!!
Holy epic Milo awesomeness!
wish I had seen this before today – it would have been the star of the show on Australia Day in our house!
I’ll have to file it away for Dad’s birthday this year. Some of my best childhood memories including watching the lightening storms on the front pergola of the house with my Dad and a bowl of ice cream and Milo.
Classic Aussie!
Thank you for recipe!!! Cute idea:) I greet:*
Oh my god. This just looks epic and amazeballs and sinfully incredible. want!
Okay, this post was hilarious. Thank you for brightening my day!
AND THEN WE DANCE!!!! The cake is insane in the best way possible. Based on the rest of the post we’d get along like a house on fire. (Happy Australia Day!) The other foods that tend to appear for the holiday are green and yellow anything…
Where can a Texan buy milo??
You can get it on Amazon!
Thank you!!
Some Asian grocers carry it. If you live in Houston, Mama on Gessner has it. ^^
Thanks Samara!
Happy Australia Day! This looks delicious! Ilove the soft ice cream and hot fudge sauce! I’d take a slice any day!
Hey girl. Just wanted to say that you are KILLING it with your photography!! you = hero.
OMG! so very delicious !!! just pinned it as my bookmarked recipe!!
Oh man! This cake. I WANT. NEED. HAVE TO HAVE. I’ve been livin off of milo lately. Can’t believe its not a world wide thing. I mean, its an energy drink, right?? RIGHT??
Thank you for making my day! I came to your blog to see your delicious looking recipe for milo ice cream cake and received so much more! I enjoyed chuckling all the way through your page. Very clever.
Should there have been sugar in the crumbles? They taste very bitter from the cocoa and salt with no sugar to balance it out. I did use ovaltine instead so maybe that caused it?
Hi Tiffany! The crumbs themselves are meant to have an edge of bitterness, as the cake, sauce and ice cream are all very sweet. When you eat everything together it should balance out. Having said that, I haven’t tested them with Ovaltine, so it’s possible that they are really too bitter! What I would do is toss them with a little powdered sugar and keep tasting until you get a flavour you’re happy with. Hope that helps!
For the crumbs, what do you mean by “milk powder”?
Hi Nancy! Just regular old dry-milk powder. You can find it in most supermarkets near the other long-life milk products.
Well that cake looks aaaamazing! I’ll give it a go ASAP. On another note, you are rockin those pj pants, as am I. No comfort is too great where fashion is involved. Thanks for the cake recipe and hilarity!
Can I substitute Milo with something else. I live in the states and I don’t think I ever heard of that?!? :) is it like a chocolate powder like nesquik?
Hi Isabell, you sure could! Milo’s not really very similar to Nesquik, but I think it would work out fine anyway. The only place you might run into trouble is with the milo crumbs – they might not be sweet enough. I suggest making the substitution with nesquick, but taste the dough and add a little more sugar if you think it needs it.
xx
Sarah
Thanks. I’ll give it a try. :)
your photography is insane! plus now, I wanna make ice cream cake too. pinned.
Glad I found you. This cake is going to be a huge success in my family.
I never thought of using Milo for this purpose! Have you tried milo with rice and condensed milk? It’s extremely delicious… Then again anything with milo is always very yummy. Thanks for inspiring me to use this chocolate ‘health drink’ in a different way :) can’t wait to try out this recipe
Hello!
Could you please tell me what “Milo” is?
Hi Charlie – it’s an Australian chocolate milk powder, totally different to Ovaltine or Nesquik. You can buy it online! xx