Stout Cake With Whiskey And Bacon Food

WARM CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKES WITH WHISKEY CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• For the whiskey caramel sauce: Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the mixture is dark amber, 7 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt until smooth. Whisk in the whiskey. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely (the caramel will thicken as it cools).
• For the chocolate stout cakes: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until dissolved and the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in the stout beer. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with nonstick canola oil spray and wipe out any oil that pools at the bottom of the cups. Dust the muffin cups with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
• Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk the egg, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract in large bowl.
• Whisk half of the stout beer mixture into the egg mixture and blend until combined. Whisk in the remaining half of the stout beer mixture and blend until smooth. Add the flour mixture and blend until just combined.
• Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. Bake the cakes, rotating the muffin tin halfway through, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes.
• Loosen the edges of each cake with an offset spatula, then carefully remove the cakes from the muffin tin. Serve the warm cakes upside-down on individual plates drizzled with the Whiskey Caramel Sauce and sprinkled with the toffee bits.

CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
• For icing:
• Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
• Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

STOUT CAKE WITH WHISKEY AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 10-inch springform cake pan and sprinkle with flour.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for cake together in a large bowl.
• Cream white sugar and butter with an electric mixer in another bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix on low speed, adding beer and flour mixture alternately in small amounts, beginning and ending with beer. Stir until just blended; do not overmix. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool inside the pan for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• While the cake is cooling, combine beer and white sugar for simple syrup in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer, undisturbed, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cream butter with an electric mixer in a bowl and slowly add 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Add whiskey, followed by another cup of confectioners' sugar. Slowly mix in 1/2 of the cooled simple syrup. Mix in more confectioners' sugar as needed to reach desired consistency. Chill until ready to use.
• Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over a flat dish.
• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the brown sugar, pressing down each slice on both sides while still warm to coat with sugar. Set aside.
• Transfer cake to a serving platter and frost generously. Reserve 2 strips of bacon; break remaining bacon into large pieces and create a mosaic pattern around the sides of the cake. Crisscross the reserved two strips over the top. If there is leftover bacon, crumble it up and sprinkle it over the top as well.

CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE WITH COFFEE IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottoms and sides of 2 - 8" x 2" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment. Create a parchment collar to go around the sides of the pans.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine well.
• In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and stout. Whisk to combine.
• Place the softened butter and the brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the brown sugar on medium speed until it is very light in color and super fluffy, about 6-8 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl with spatula after each addition.
• Add one third of the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until just combined. Pour half of the beer mixture into the bowl and mix on low until just combined.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape the bowl to make sure the ingredients are incorporated. The mixture might look curdled at this point, but it will come back together.
• Add an additional one third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the remaining beer mixture and mix just until combined.
• Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are incorporated.
• Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are not any pockets of butter or flour remaining.
• Place the bowl back on the stand mixer. With the mixer speed on low add the mayo. Mix for 10 seconds.
• Combine the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the cake batter and mix on low for an additional 10 seconds.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer. Portion the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake the cakes on the center rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. You will want to start watching for the cakes to be done, when the tops dome and start to crack a bit.
• Remove the baked cakes from the oven. If they have domed at all, use a tea towel to gently press down the domes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
• Run a butter knife around the edge of the pans, remove the parchment collar and turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.
• Wrap the cakes tightly with a couple layers of plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill completely before assembling.The cakes will keep tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cake layers can also be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag. I personally don't like to freeze longer than a week, but you can freeze these layers for up to three weeks. Defrost the layers in the refrigerator before using.
• Place the chopped chocolate and butter into a medium size bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the heavy cream, salt and corn syrup in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat on the stove until the mixture begins to simmer.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth.
• Add the Irish whiskey and whisk to combine.
• Place the ganache into the refrigerator until it is a thicker, spreadable consistency, like peanut butter, about 30 minutes or so.
• Add the salt, espresso and Irish cream to the prepared buttercream. Mix on low until incorporated completely and the buttercream is silky and smooth
• Work with chilled cake layers. Using a long serrated knife torte the layers, cutting them evenly in half. You will have four cake layers total. The tops of the cakes will be the center two layers of your cake.
• Put one of the cake layers, cut side up onto an 8" cake board or directly onto a cake stand.
• Spread a thin, even layer of the ganache on the cake layer with an offset spatula.
• Spread about one cup of the buttercream on top of the ganache using an offset spatula to evenly distribute the buttercream. You're looking for the buttercream to be about 1/4 inch thick.
• Place another cake layer on top, top up, and press down gently so that the layer is adhered to the buttercream. Repeat the previous two steps, applying the ganache and buttercream.
• Place the third layer cake layer, top up, and press down gently so that the layer is adhered to the buttercream.
• Add the final ganache layer. Add the final buttercream layer. Place the final cake layer (the bottom of one of the cakes) bottom side up on the buttercream, pressing gently to adhere.
• Frost the cake with the remaining coffee Irish cream buttercream. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Microwave the remaining ganache in 3-5 second intervals, stirring after every interval until the ganache is loose and pourable but not hot.
• Add the drips around the perimeter of the cake. Fill in the top of the cake with the ganache and smooth.
• Slice into pieces and serve.The completed cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.