Cake for New Years

Yes, we love cake! 

For this one we used our 85% Ambanja or 88% Kilombero dark chocolate AND The Second Wedge Bean to Beer (yes, we still have some!). You can't get Bean to Beer right now, but it would also be excellent with Rainmaker porter. The recipe calls for any porter or stout and it is a crucial ingredient. The beer adds a delicious tang to the cake and accentuates the chocolate. 

Erik loves this cake and makes it ALOT!  Which means lots of extra exercise walking in the woods with the dog (who is very happy about the cake situation). We found this recipe on the Theo Chocolate website - a wonderful chocolate maker in Seattle, WA.

Cake:

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbs (3/4 ounce) cocoa powder
• 2 cups plus 1 tbs (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup stout or porter
• 6 ounces 85% dark chocolate (if you substitute 72% reduce sugar somewhat)
• 2 cups packed (14 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1 cup (8 oz ) sour cream or yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Glaze:

• 5 ounces 72% chocolate
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbs stout or porter
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tbs unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Lightly coat the inside of a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, then dust with the cocoa mixture. Tap the pan upside down to remove the excess, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder, the beer, and chocolate, and whisk gently over medium heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, then whisk in the brown sugar, sour cream, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla, one ingredient at a time.

Sift the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and whisk well to blend. Make sure there are no lumps. Pour the batter (it will be very liquid) into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto the wire rack and let it cool completely before glazing.

We don't add the glaze, but serve with Kawartha Dairy's Vanilla ice cream...or with nothing. Its that good!  However, to make the glaze, put the chocolate, cream, beer, and honey in a double boiler. When the chocolate starts to melt, whisk the mixture until it’s perfectly smooth. Remove the glaze from the heat and whisk in the butter. Let the glaze cool slightly at room temperature until it begins to thicken, whisking it occasionally. When it’s thick enough to leave a trail when you lift the whisk, slowly pour it over the cake, letting it run down the sides in an aesthetically pleasing way. When the glaze has stopped dripping, transfer the cake to a serving plate.