If you ever wanted to impress someone who ordinarily turns their nose down at beer introduce them to this combination. After all, there is nothing more impressive than someone who can gently tease you out of your comfort zone and bring you pleasure while doing it. And what is a celebration of Valentine’s Day, but the very celebration of complementary pairings?
More like a fine European dessert than the sickly sweet American variety, this chocolate-rich cake made with Railway City Black Coal Stout is made for the grown-ups. Subtly sweet, generously dense, dark, and complex, this is the perfect cake to make for your loved one(s) on Valentine’s day.
Pair it with Nickel Brooks’s sublime and deliciously dry and tart Raspberry Uber Berlinerweisse for a truly decadent experience and you’ll have your loved one eating out of your hands.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cup Railway City Black Coal Stout (and drink whatever is left over)
- 1 1/2 cups of butter (plus some for coating the cake pans)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 1/2 cups of flour
- 2 1/2 cups of sugar
- 2 tsp (10ml) of baking soda
- 1 tsp (5ml) salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of sour cream
Icing
- 1 1/3 whipping cream
- 300 g (or 8 squares) semisweet chocolate
- Raspberries for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 for silver pans or 325 for dark pans
- Spread butter on all inside surfaces of two 8″ round cake pans
- Trace the bottom of pans on parchment paper and cut out two round circles (the side of your lines) and line the bottom of the pans and butter these
- Heat up butter to a simmer and add cocoa powder, Whisk until smooth and then take off burner to cool until no longer likely to cook the eggs, but still is liquid
- Mix remaining dry ingredients in a bowl
- Beat eggs and sour cream
- Mix in chocolate mixture until just combined
- Add in dry ingredients on slow speed to start the mixing, but finish by folding mixture by hand with a spatula
- Divide the batter equally between the two pans
- Bake between 35 and 45 minutes depending on your oven.
- Cake will rise, but not as much as a store bought mix would. It’s done when cake no longer wobbles as if it is still liquidy and wooden toothpicks inserted in the middle come out clean
- Cool on racks for 10 minutes or so, and take out of pans completely to cool further and cool upside down
TIP: Adjust your temperature for the colour pans you have. Reduce heat by 25° and check for doneness early with darker pans.
Icing
- Chop semi-sweet chocolate into small pieces
- Heat whip cream until just simmering and take off stove
- melt chocolate in hot cream, whisking constantly
- Cool in fridge for approximately 1-2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes until icing is spreadable
- Place small pieces of parchment paper under the cake to catch drips of icing, this will help you keep the plate clean
- Turn one cake upside down and ice using approximately half the icing
- Add the second cake matching the bottoms together and ice with the remaining, using a flat knife to even out the sides and top
- Garnish with raspberries if desired
The icing does not need to be “pretty”, a certain roughness to the texture is desirable as it enhances its chocolatey goodness and hand-crafted appeal.
About the beer
Railway City Black Coal Stout is a dark as night stout with a dark foam. Its dark coffee and chocolate notes are perfect for this cake. Nicklebrook’s Uber Raspberry Berliner Weisse is the perfect pairing with chocolate and with its striking color, this three-time Gold Medal Winner is sure to impress.
