Volcano Stout

Chocolate Stout Lava Cake ft. Habenero Ganache + Dark Chocolate Shards

This remix was inspired by beer-brewing birthday boy Ben, the creator of the subtly explosive Volcano Stout beer. Ben is a home brewer and the Volcano Stout is first beer he brewed in NYC and one of my favorites that he has brewed, period: a smooth chocolate-y stout with a spicy aftertaste. I can't take credit for the name - Ben says the name came from the 'sweet opening, time delay, and eventual eruption of heat' from the beer.

I also followed his lead and used the habanero peppers only to infuse the liquids (stout for the cake and cream for the ganache) in the recipe - there should be no habanero pepper remnants in your cake or you can say hasta la vista to your taste buds. You may want to wear plastic gloves while handling the peppers - I made the mistake of not doing so during the Volcano Stout test run and my hands suffered the heated wrath of the habaneros for the rest of the night.

This is a smooth chocolate cake with a habanero-infused stout that gives a bit of kick and a second kick comes in the form of the habanero-infused ganache poured on top. You can use dark chocolate for a super-dark volcanic ganache or red candy melts if viscous magma is more your thing. The red ganache would actually make excellent blood for a Halloween cake, but that's another cake for another day...

Happy Birthday Ben!

chocolate stout lava cake
1 box dark chocolate cake mix
1-1/4 c. milk stout beer
3-4 habanero peppers
4 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, grease pan with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. Rinse habanero peppers, slice off ends, and slice each pepper into 2-3 thick rings - being careful not to touch pith or seeds with bare fingers. Pour stout beer into a small bowl with the sliced peppers for 60 seconds. Strain the peppers from the stout, leaving the beer infused with the heat of the habaneros. Save the peppers for spicing the ganache cream and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, and habanero-infused stout until smooth. Slowly add in cake mix, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into greased 8” round pans and bake for 5 minutes less than the  times on the back of the box. Baking at a higher temperature than usual (375 versus 350) will cause the perimeter and outside of the cake to bake quicker, leaving the inside slightly molten.

habanero ganache
10 oz. red candy melts OR dark chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
3-4 habanero peppers (same as the cake)
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Similar to the stout in the cake, pour heavy cream and sliced habanero peppers into the same bowl for 60 seconds. Strain peppers from cream and set aside.

In a small saucepan on the stovetop, bring habanero-infused cream to a boil. Remove from heat, added in chopped chocolate or candy melts, and whisk mixture until blended. Let cool and thicken 5-10 minutes without hardening. Set cake on a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and pour ganache onto cooled cake, letting ganache run down the sides. Place in the freezer immediately for 5-10 minutes so the ganache will harden mid-drip.

Garnish with shards/pieces of dark chocolate and serve at room temperature.

dark chocolate shards
Starting with a bar of dark chocolate, use a large knife to chop chocolate into large and small shards. Set aside to garnish cupcakes or cake.

volcano stout cupcakes
For cupcake versions, use an ice cream scoop to fill liners with batter and bake on 375 degrees for 12-16 minutes, leaving cupcake interiors a little molten - test with a toothpick. Use a spoon to drizzle or pour habanero ganache over cupcakes, letting the ganache run to the edge of the cupcake liner. 

For serving, layer cupcake in a second liner and sprinkle with dark chocolate shards/shavings.

Pot 'o Gold

Chocolate Guinness Cake ft. Baileys Frosting + Whiskey Gold Coins

I debated posting this remix, but I decided this was a good lesson in self-deprecation over self-actualization, much in the spirit of my cake apprentice days. So just read on and trust that I'm working on my shamrock skills.

There is utterly no lack of Irish Car Bomb cupcake recipes on the Internet (in fact, I wouldn't entirely trust a baking blog that doesn't have one), so alas - this remix is not so different from the others. Except for maybe my (accidental) decision to feature an Irish Midlands peat bog on top of the cake, rather than a lovely patch of clovers. (But really, this fluffy icing got the best of me in this round - check back for a re-remix where I actually make shamrocks instead of mutant-pea-shapes).

Nevertheless, this cake is moist and rich - thanks to an overnight soak, a secret ingredient (chocolate pudding mix), and the presence of Baileys. I had forgotten how smooth, delicious, and versatile Baileys Irish Creme could be - I have been putting it in my coffee, on my French Toast (in the form of Baileys whipped cream), and it's not even St. Patrick's Day yet.

I think the rainbow gradient is my favorite part of this cake - I divided and colored the frosting in 6 separate tubs and filled 6 separate bags with #10 tips to pipe 6 rings of color around the cake, before using a hot knife to blend it together. Unfortunately, this rainbow turned out better than the vegetation on top, and I ended up sandwiching this beautiful creature in between the cake layers. Note to self: next time, don't.

I had the idea to make large "sprinkles" for the gold at the end of the rainbow, only to mild success. I had a  bit o' trouble piping them out smoothly, and this could be an instance where gumpaste or (*gasp!*) fondant is the better way to go, because it can be rolled out, cut out, and textured to actually look like coins.

But I highly recommend the gold dust (luster dust, not flakes) - you can find it at cake supply shops, some craft stores, and definitely online. The first time I ever used it, I incorrectly mixed it into the frosting itself, which had no effect whatsoever. Instead, wait for the frosting or fondant to dry completely and then use a small brush to paint the dust (with a dab of water, liquor, or milk) directly onto the surface. I also used this for the gold ceiling tiles in the Victorian remix.

You can also make rainbow tie-dye cupcakes by lining a pastry bag with colored frosting before filling it with white frosting. Voila - taste the rainbow.

Stumpkin

Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Cake ft. Pumpkin Ale Frosting + Dark Chocolate Malt Ganache

Starbucks had its moment in the spotlight, but now it's time for another fall-drink-based cake - may I introduce to you, the Stumpkin (the drink), courtesy of Heartland Brewery in New York City. Equal parts Farmer John's Oatmeal Stout and Smiling Pumpkin Ale, this mixed beer concoction combines the hearty roasted chocolate flavor of the stout with the sweet spicy body of the pumpkin ale (do I sound like a beer connoisseur yet?)

I'm a fan of the version that comes in a pint glass, so that can only mean one thing - if you can drink it, you can bake it. Thanks to some home-brewing friends, several Sam Adams brewery tours over the years, and the Internet, I am somewhat aware of how beer is made. The overly-simplified process (and don't hold me to it) goes something like: barley grains are steeped (soaked in water) and kilned (dried in an oven) to become malt (fermentable sugars), the malt mash solution is boiled with hops for seasoning (bitterness to balance the sweeter malt flavors) and yeast is added to begin fermentation, which releases carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol during several weeks of conditioning. Then, beer.

Of course the real process is more complex than that, but just knowing those steps gave me enough material to translate into a cake. I recommend starting with a dark chocolate cake mix (though chocolate is fine too), and you'll need an oatmeal stout and a pumpkin ale as well (feel free to drink the remainder throughout the brewing, er, baking process). The Stumpkin cake is rich without being too sweet, due to the dark chocolate in the ganache and the smooth dark beers in the cake and frosting.

The key ingredient (in my opinion) - which is optional (depending on if you can/wish to purchase malt from a homebrew store or the Internet) - is the ground malt powder made from roasted barley grain. I bought a pound of this chocolate rye malt, soaked it in water, roasted it in the toaster oven, and then ground it into a fine powder with a blender (or food processor).

This mimics the process of malting in the actual brewing process at a much smaller scale - the point is to release the smoky roasted flavors of the grains. The picture below shows that the 'powder' looks a bit more like dirt than a fine sugar, but it really adds an earthiness to the stout cake and grittiness to the dark chocolate ganache. The malt is completely optional but if you choose to make it, I would add 1 tablespoon into the cake mix and then 1-2 tablespoons into the ganache recipe.

chocolate oatmeal stout cake
1 box dark chocolate cake mix
1-1/4 c. oatmeal stout
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 tbsp roasted malt powder (see below)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease pan with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, oatmeal stout, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Slowly add in cake mix and malt powder, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into greased 8” round pans and bake according to times on the back of the box.

pumpkin ale frosting
1/4 c. shortening
4 c. confectioners sugar
3 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
2 tbsp pumpkin beer or ale
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice
orange food coloring (optional)
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Beat shortening, cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin ale, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice on low speed until smooth. Slowly add in sugar and beat on high speed until frosting forms. Add gel food coloring for orange frosting.

dark chocolate malt ganache
10 oz. dark chocolate / semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 tbsp. roasted malt powder (see below)
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In a small saucepan on the stovetop, bring cream and malt powder (see below) to a boil. Remove from heat, added in chopped chocolate, and whisk mixture until blended. Let cool and thicken without hardening. Spread onto frosted cake, letting colors blend together.

roasted malt powder
1 c. chocolate barley malt
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Soak barley grains in a bowl of water for 1 hour. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and spread wet grains in a thin layer onto the sheet. Roast in oven or toaster oven for 1 hour at 400 degrees F, stirring every once in awhile so grains do not start to burn (your oven may also become smoky as the water releases). Let grains cool and then use a blender or food processor to grind the grains into a fine powder.