I seem to be an expert in using up leftover beer.
Viz, today's cake.
This cake is not the result, as that pork linked to above was (and I highly recommend that you check that out because it was fantastic), of a stray, almost-full bottle of beer, the aftermath of a party. Well, it's an aftermath sort of thing, but in the sense that someone — with the best of intentions — brought us a six-pack of beer that was completely and utterly rejected by the guys here. The females wouldn't even have tried it, on account of the bizarre label, but the male is a less discerning creature. Try it he must.
Howsoever that may be, the beer was rejected — I think on account of the raspberry, mainly.
Just for the record, the guest brought a second six-pack of a kind deemed quite acceptable.
You know about Guinness cake, right? But the problem is that the men don't want you to bake with the Guinness. They want to drink it. Thus the rejection of the odd bottle of beer is a boon in the dessert department, and I assure you I took full advantage by whipping out my Smitten Kitchen Chocolate Stout Cake recipe. Now, I will categorically state that you do not need to hew closely to the stout requirement — important news when the men are throwing their bodies in front of the Guinness to protect it.
Any beer will do, and raspberry wheat ale is just fine.
The recipe is below. It's Smitten Kitchen‘s with my remarks (in pink). I do recommend that site. Her pictures are beautiful and the food is inspiring. You will be able to print the recipe out easier if you go over there.
Meanwhile, it was also my birthday the other day. I got plenty of birthday love of just the sort I like — good food and fun! Some nice gifts, including this:
Before you judge, realize that it's been raining and cold here for ever since it hasn't actually been under three feet of snow.
Mind, this sweet representation of a raised bed (approx. 4″ x 8″ I guess) wasn't sent to me in that FedEx envelope.
It was wrapped in it.
This is what we call WDD — Wrapping Deficit Disorder. Embraced.
Back to cake.
Awesome cake of moist deliciousness, lightly redolent of raspberries. I should have served it with a little garnish of fresh raspberries, but I didn't have them. Never mind, it's just wonderful cake.
Like Mother, Like Daughter Raspberry Wheat Ale Cake, via Smitten Kitchen Chocolate Stout Cake
1 cup stout (such as Guinness) — Any beer will do, the stronger flavored the better. Since a beer is more than a cup, I use what's left in the ganache frosting, and that is a big change to this recipe. (See the ganache frosting recipe below).
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter — I did happen to have unsalted butter, but don't be a slave to this direction
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in all of the nooks and crannies. (Some people even go so far as to brush the inside of their bundt pans with melted butter–you cannot be too careful!).
Now, choose a saucepan big enough (2 qt. would be fine) for the following so that you can ultimately add the sour cream and eggs to the cooled butter/beer mixture, saving yourself a bowl: Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk the sour cream and eggs into the butter and beer.
Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. The batter will be thin for a cake batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Mine took just about 45 minutes, and I have a convection oven.
Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then put it on your serving platter.
Ganache Frosting
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy cream or the leftover beer and a little cream — ganache is a very simple idea and you don't have to fret about exact proportions. If you like your glaze a bit harder, add less liquid proportionately. If you like it soft, more. And any leftover will keep nicely for the next cake.
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules — or a little leftover coffee in place of some more of the cream, or, in the case of raspberry beer, just leave out because you don't want an actual riot in your mouth at the end.
Ganache:
For the ganache, I don't worry about a double boiler. If you put the liquids and the chocolate in a good heavy saucepan (you can use the one you used above, rinsed out), and heat on low while the cake is baking and cooling, you should have no problem with it. Stir it as it melts and let it sit on the warm burner.
Drizzle over the top of cooled cake.
Kelly says
Oh, my wow! I'm so making this cake this afternoon. can't. resist.
As for the cake sticking in the pan…have you heard of “pan-ease”? It's a mix of shortening, oil and flour that you smother the inside of the baking pan with. It works like a dream every time.
Mix equal parts of shortening, oil, flour till it looks like soft butter- keeps in fridge indefinitely. Though I usually mix it up in the container before using because of settling. Use a plastic bag “glove” to smear into pan making sure to get into every crevice if there are any.
Voila! It's a miracle product made with ingredients you all ready keep stocked in your kitchen!
Love, love, love your blog btw. I come here often, though comment infrequently. Hmmm, actually this may be my first comment come to think of it. 🙂
Lisa G. says
Ahhh! That sounds interesting! My brother asked me to get him some fancy beer brewed by monks somewhere, and he's only had one (2 are left). Said it's rather strong. Ahaaaa…..
Lela says
Why do you tempt this poor Presbyterian woman with a beautiful cake that must be made with beer! Can I substitute anything else for it?
_Leila says
Dear Lela, make beET cake instead. http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/2009/09/b…
womanofthehouse says
Happy birthday, Leila! My husband has a shoebox with a fill-in-the-blank note attached (Dear _______, best wishes on your _________. I hope this gift meets your expectations and discharges my obligations ~ that sort of thing lol) that he uses for all gift giving occasions. It's become a tradition in our house and the kids are actually disappointed if he doesn't use it. The cake sounds yummy and I will have to give it a try if we ever have a leftover beer, which is not likely. Dh brews his own to his own specifications, so of course it's always the way he likes it.
Betsy M says
Leila, that is funny about the beer and your men! My new gluten free beer is rather expensive and whenever I think of making beer bread nowadays I reconsider. I then just drink my beer and have plain bread. That cake does look good though – definitely worth a beer.
Carol Kennedy says
That looks incredible! Since only one type of Guiness is guarded with the life of the Man of the House…the other kind (extra stout) is used for Guiness stew….and now, perhaps, a yummy cake! Hmmm…do I have time for this tomorrow?…..
Melanie B says
That cake looks heavenly. Makes me wish we had some beer sitting around. But all we've got is Guinness. To be drunk.
Flying Squirrel says
This is TOO MUCH for my (temporarily) gluten-free eyes! I immediately book-marked this recipe for that distant day when I can make and devour cakes again. —There's a delicious raspberry wheat ale brewed locally here. But, at our house, it gets consumed faster than I could turn it into cake.
Mama Bean says
i read this post, went to my pantry for the 3 yr old labatt's that's been languishing there (no one in their right mind that enters this house will drink it. i don't even know why it's there…) went to my kitchen and made this cake, with the stub of butter that just happened to be a cup, and the dregs of sour cream that didn't go with our perogies, which just happened to be 2/3 cup. also used slightly less sugar. felt very accomplished when it came out of the pan perfectly. and, ohmygoodnessyumyumyum. i might feed it to my son for dinner lol. thanks so so much for posting, it made my saturday!
momco3 says
Yum! And I hope that it warms up so you can have your compost bin before hell freezes over. (I loved that!)
Ali says
What a lovely cake. It looks so moist and delicious with that glaze on it.
Habou says
The cake was (and still is) really, really yummy.
Becka says
I actually threw out my first bundt pan because the cakes always tore up when I tried to remove them from the pan. A friend gave me this tip for getting the bundt cake out of the pan in good condition: After it cools in the pan for twenty minutes use a very flexible plastic knife (like you would get at a fast food restaurant) and carefully run it around all the edges of the pan. If you work carefully your cake will come out perfectly.
kimberlee says
A very happy belated birthday to you! So good to know you are still celebrating!
Sue says
Happy Birthday!!! I am so glad to know that I'm not the only wife of a man with WDD. Embracing it is really the only way to go. It's kind of cute, really.
I want to try this cake, but I'll have to substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream because it comes in very small expensive containers here. I'll also have to wait for some beer to show up. We often get a beer gift set from one of my husband's student's parents during summer gift-giving season. We normally stick to wine, since beer makes hubby break out in red blotches all over his torso for some reason – to his dismay. It looks so delicious that I may even be tempted to pick up a can at the store just to try it out!
_Leila says
Sue — do you think that he would react to beer CAKE? That would be sad. But maybe this wheat beer would be different? Give him a sip and see what happens…then use the rest for the cake 🙂
And yes, you can substitute buttermilk or yogurt for the sour cream, but you might need a leetle more butter, and a little less liquid.
Sue says
Oh, no, no! I'm sure the beer in the cake would be fine. I just meant to say that we usually don't have beer on hand, because he can't drink much of it. Poor guy! ;o)
Yogurt substitute + more butter, less liquid. Got it!
MamabearJD says
I was just gathering ingredients to knock out a chocolate sheet cake after Mass today because the baby's Godfather is coming over and he likes to see the kids hopped up on sugar! Sometimes we will have beer orphans, thanks for the tip, that cake looks fantastic! I have one of those pretty bunt pans with a thousand nooks and crannies, and I have taken to using coconut oil and a pastry brush to grease it.
_Leila says
Mamabear, someone led me very astray with that coconut oil thing. What a nightmare.
I'm quite cursed, I think. I have to be very diligent with butter, flour, and a knife to get the cake out, ever.
Barb R says
These cakes look fantastic, although I too have the same dilemma as Lela above. We don't have any beer in the house. Hmmm… Wonder what we could substitute?
Barbara says
Lovely cake, Leila. My husband would never enjoy a raspberry beer, either, so I guess he's in good company. Happy belated — hope you had a great day!
Anne says
I was lucky enough to try this cake. It was so good. In fact, usually I am all about the frosting, but in this case I was way more interested in the cake, which was prefect because the two toddlers I was sharing with wanted the frosting!
Dyan says
Happy Belated Birthday! The cake looks delicious!
Elena says
I love your blog! Happy Birthday, and thanks for this chocolate fix! I'm sure many have asked about your “roosters” at the top of your blog page…Did you make them? Their so fun!
_Leila says
Elena, those have always been Christmas ornaments here, and I don't remember where I got them — it's lost in the mists of time. Maybe Pier One when they actually had folksy things?
I had them as my header one Advent long ago, and when I was sort of musing, sometime after Christmas, if I should change my header already, everyone was like, “NO! The header is how we know it's you at Like Mother, Like Daughter!” So we went with it!
Elena says
Oops! That's “they're” so pretty!
melissa says
me…”honey, look, a chocolate cake made with Guiness!!!!!
DH….”NOPE. Thats a WASTE of a good beer.”
me….”oh yes, its happening.”
_Leila says
Haha, Melissa, I told you!! Go get you some girly beer 🙂
_Leila says
It's inconsistent of me to call it girly. I mean, I said that the girls didn't like the label (or the taste when offered a sip). I am not sure actually what the fault of this beer is. Just weird.
priest's wife says
looks very yummy…and good use for the more-than-half- bottle I usually forget about and find the next morning
Christina says
Oh. my. This cake was very, very, good Leila. Looking at it again now makes me wish I had a piece here for my breakfast! The raspberry-ness would make it a kosher breakfast food, right?
Amy Caroline says
Oh baby! Looks divine… And totally cracked up about the men protecting their stout… it is so true! I have one bottle of Murphy's in my fridge that is apparently being saved. If I dared use it… *shudder*
Mary Emily says
Lovely cake, and made with a girly beer, one of my faves. I am always trying those fruity, girly beers, since my husband is a devoted beer drinker, and I'm trying to be a good sport. The citrus-y beers, with a slice of lemon, are the best on a hot summer afternoon!