Have you ever baked with beer? Whilst this beverage probably isn’t the first thing you’d think to reach for when trying to make a cake, the addition of stout to a chocolate cake provides a depth of flavour and richness second to none.
My first beer cake I ever made was the Guinness Cake with Baileys Icing. I took it up a notch a few years later and made a Guinness layer cake with Irish whiskey ganache and Baileys icing. It was a cake version of the Irish Car bomb Cupcake (which was inspired by a cocktail of the same name) and tasted oh so decadent.
But what about an Aussie version? We like drinking possibly as much as the Irish! And why not create something that showcases our local beverages?
So I got to work in the kitchen and began experimenting. And the result? A Coopers Stout Beer cupcake, filled with a Bundaberg Rum ganache and topped with a Mr Black Cold Drip Coffee Liqueur icing.
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Coopers Stout Cake
- 250 ml Coopers stout beer
- 250 g butter
- 2/3 cup cup cocoa powder
- 1¾ cups caster/superfine sugar
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2½ tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
Bundaberg Rum Ganache
- 225 g dark chocolate
- 140 ml heavy cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp Bundaberg Rum
Mr Black Coffee Liqueur Icing
- 4-5 cups sifted icing sugar/powdered sugar
- 100 g butter at room temperature
- 250 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 4-6 tbsps Baileys Irish Cream to taste
- Dark chocolate to decorate optional
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Coopers Stout Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 2 x 12 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
- Melt the butter into the Coopers Stout in a saucepan over low heat.
- Whisk in the cocoa and sugar and take the saucepan off the heat.
- Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl until combined, than add to the beer mixture.
- Whisk in the flour and bicarb until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin tins and fill approximately ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly in their tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
Bundaberg Rum Ganache
- Heat cream up into the microwave until warm (not boiling) and then add finely chopped chocolate, stirring until melted and combined.
- Add in the butter and rum and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick and spreadable.
Mr Black Coffee Liqueur Icing
- Cream the butter and icing sugar together until well mixed.
- Add the cream cheese in cubes slowly until incorporated.
- Add in coffee liqueur. Continue mixing for 5 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy.
To assemble
- Take a small, sharp knife and cut a cone shaped piece out of the centre of each cupcake.
- Put the cooled rum ganache into a sandwich bag, cut off the tip of a corner, and use it to carefully fill each cupcake with the ganache.
- Spoon icing into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Decorate with shavings of dark chocolate if you so desire!
I played around with the amount of alcohol in each component to ensure it was balanced and one flavour didn’t overpower the other. And I must admit, I was very pleased with the result!
I ate an embarrassingly large amount of these cupcakes in the name of patriotism. Perhaps bust these out at your next Australia Day BBQ!
Do you like experimenting in the kitchen? What have you created lately?
2 Comments
Oh my goodness Swah- these are ridiculous. But oh so amazing. I absolutely love beer in desserts, counters the sweetness so well.
It works so well doesn’t it? Thanks Nicole!