Oh, sorry! I did not realize Ovaltine was malt.
It’s not straight malt, it’s a malted milk mix. I don’t think I’ve ever seen straight dried malt sold outside of a homebrew supply store.
The only difference I could surmise is possibly the Carnation and Horlick’s products don’t have added sugar (they just get all their sweetness from the malt.) Swiss Ovaltine does not have added sugar, as I understand it, but not stuff sold elsewhere. I don’t know what the deal with Carnation and Horlick’s is, though.
goes off to the internet
Ah, look here. Lots of info there (a lot of it contradictory), including a link to somebody making that malted cheesecake recipe. Horlick’s seems to be the best of the bunch, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen this brand here. Then again, I’ve never been on the lookout for malt outside of homebrewing.
Check the ice cream topping aisle at Jewel. 
Is that a powder or a syrup? Are you sure it’s straight malt extract? (I’m assuming extract here. Straight malt is simply a malted grain, which would not be suitable for topping anything.)
OK. Let’s do definitions here. (actually, I should say malt powder up there, not necessarily malt extract)
Malt -> a malted grain -> a grain (usually barley) which is germinated and then dried. It looks like this
Malt powder/malt flour -> malted grains that are ground up. There are two kinds: diastatic and non-diastatic malt powder. It looks like this.
Malt extract -> Can be similar to the above. It’s malted grains that have been soaked in hot water, allowing the development of enzymes which convert starches into sugars to take hold. This malt “soup” is then dried into either a syrup or powder, and normally used for brewing.
Malt milk powder -> Similar in approach to malt extract (in that malted grains are mashed together), but with the addition of wheat flour into the mash, and milk is added to the resulting liquid, dried, and pulverized. Sometimes, additional sugar or other flavors (like chocolate in this case) are added.
Let me check…
Ah, right you are. It’s Malted Milk Powder, ingredients: Wheat flour and malted barley extracts, milk, soy lethicin, salt, sodium bicarbonate. And yes, it would make a terrible ice cream topping. But it makes good ice cream malts!
We keep it WAY up on top of the fridge in the SERIOUSLY NOT GLUTEN FREE zone! 
OK, that makes sense. Looks like Ovaltine without the extra sugar, so it should probably work better for the cheesecake recipe (although you’d need to add the chocolate flavor to it, unless they sell a chocolate version, too.)
I love cheesecakes too. My favorite is ATK’s, although I manage to get that one to crack sometimes too. It’s so rich and smooth, and it takes 2 1/2 lbs of cream cheese, so there’s that. The last few I’ve done I’ve marbled with huckleberry jam and it’s been amazing. (about 3 T or so dropped in 1/2 T sized scoops and swirled with a butter knife.) So fabulous! You could do it with any fruit jam, I’m sure.
I’m all about the mini cheesecakes. You can take any cheesecake recipe, decide on a cookie for the crust, and be creative with toppings. Bake them in a muffin pan, with muffin papers. The standard, of course, is the plain cheesecake with a vanilla wafer, topped with strawberries or cherries. Also good is chocolate cheesecake with an oreo, topped with a dab of raspberry jam and one fresh raspberry. Or, pumpkin cheesecake with a ginger snap, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a light sprinkling of nutmeg.
They’re really fun, you can be creative, and they work really well at parties.
My sister does her cheesecake in a water bath in her pressure cooker. She says it’s great and easy.
StG
These sound good- I shall try them soon. I do sometimes use muffin tins and papers and do half brownie/half cheesecake cupcakes. Those are delicious and the best of both worlds.
I did go to the store and my choices were Ovaltine Chocolate Malt Flavor, or Carnation Malted Milk powder, not chocolate. I chose the Carnation because it seemed like it would taste more authentic. I may or may not add cocoa. I will report back in case anyone’s curious if it’s good.
I think you made the right choice.
StGermain - In a pressure cooker, eh? What’s the technique? I’ve just recently gotten a pressure cooker and fell in love with it for stews and beans and such. Never thought of doing cheesecake in it. How do you do it?
I must contradict: malt makes a wonderful ice cream topping! A sundae with malt powder on top is a “Dusty Miller.” Great name, no?
Honey cheesecake sounds good. I don’t have any recipes on hand but the best cheesecake I ever had used ricotta instead of cream cheese. If you’re cheesecake curious and have never tried it before, I would look for a recipe…it’s much lighter and airier than the traditional variety.
It is a great name. And, despite working in two olde timey ice cream parlors growing up, I’ve never heard of it! Is it a regional thing?
The best malt product is the British staple Horlicks which I used to have most winter nights when I lived there.
Now that, I don’t know. I learned about it from a Disney cookbook that was a Christmas present in fourth grade (1997).
pulykamell - I haven’t asked my sister for her recipe, but I queried “pressure cooker cheesecake” and came up with this recipe, which sounds great! My sister even went out to buy a third pressure cooker so she would have one that a springform pan would fit into.
Chocolate Cheesecake
• 1/4 cup(s) chocolate-cookie crumbs
• 2 package(s) (8-ounces each) cream cheese, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup(s) sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 bar(s) (3-ounce each) high-quality dark chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
• Sliced fresh strawberries , optional
• 2 tablespoon(s) strawberry jelly, melted, optional
• Fresh mint sprigs , optional
Directions
- Fold 2 feet of aluminum foil twice lengthwise to create a strip for moving cheesecake to and from 6-quart pressure cooker. Set aside.
- Cover outside of 8-inch springform pan with 1 large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil so no water can seep in. Liberally butter pan and sprinkle with cookie crumbs, tilting and shaking pan to coat bottom and side. Set aside.
- In food processor fitted with chopping blade, process cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth – about 15 seconds. Add eggs, sour cream, and melted chocolate and process until combined – 5 to 10 seconds. 4. Pour into prepared pan. Cover with buttered aluminum foil so that foil fits tightly around side but allows some room on top for cheesecake to expand.
- Set trivet or rack on bottom of cooker. Pour in 2 1/2 cups water. Center springform pan on foil strip and gently lower into cooker. Loosely fold ends of foil strip over pan.
- Lock lid into place, heat to high pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to just enough to maintain high pressure and cook 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let pressure drop naturally for 10 minutes (see “Releasing Pressure”). Remove lid, opening it away from you, to allow any remaining steam to escape.
-
- Let cheesecake cool a few minutes before removing from cooker. With aid of foil strip, lift cheesecake onto wire rack and remove all foil. Cool cheesecake to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.
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- Before serving, release and remove side of springform pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Arrange strawberries on top of cake, brush strawberries with melted jelly, and surround cheesecake with mint sprigs, if desired.
StG
Welp, I ended up making chocolate malt cheesecake bars. Delicious. I didn’t use the semisweet chocolate- I just added about 2/3 cup of cocoa. I don’t like my chocolate to overpower my cream cheese flavor. Delicious- still chocolate malty yet also cheesecakey. Yum! I have them power-cooling in the freezer. 
Since malt powder came up in this thread… Apparently that overpriced, low quality, chincy, Minnesotan corporation that happens to bear the Dairy Queen Logo as a corporation and continues to run the generic terminology into the ground, somehow aqcuired the Orange Julius… just like they ruined the name of the traditional “Dairy Queen” they have ruined the Orange Julius. Now they dispense a processed orange Julius homogenized and made in a factory. I long for the days of the Old Orange Julius at my 70’s and 80’s mall with the fresh orange juice, ice, powdered sugar, water, and malt powder in a blender… add strawberries for a strawberry Julius. They have totally destroyed a flavor and experience from my childhood… they suck as a Dairy Queen and aren’t worthy of Orange Julius. I had a McDonald’s and a DQ nearby. I actually preferred the McDonald’s Hot Fudge Sundae over the Dairy Queen Hot Fudge Parfait for nearly 300 times less than their outrageous price. Same thing at three times the price and at McDonald’s the nuts are free.