A Flight of Dark Chocolate Beer Cupcakes

We all like a little variety and when it comes to food and beverage I like small plates. I like to taste many things and compare and contrast. My beer cupcakes last weekend were inspired by two things.

First, the Winter Brew Festival at Linden Street Brewery in late January. The festival was great. They showcased many beers, all of my local favorites and a lot of medal winners. We started at the dark beer section and made our way to the home brews. 

Second, the concept of ordering a "flight" or sampler when going out. You can usually find me ordering from the starter menu and trying a few different wines. I am totally fine having those two concepts marry which is the subject/experiment for this update - A Flight of Dark Chocolate Beer Cupcakes!

Beer #1: Alaska Brewing Company, 2009 Smoked Porter
Beer #2: Anchor Steam Brewery, Porter
Beer #3: Lagunitas, Cappuccino Stout
Beer #4: New Belgium, 1554 Black Ale
Beer #5: Marin Brewing Company, Blueberry Ale

I tried two differed recipes with four different beers and here were my results. 

My favorites were Lagunitas Cap Stout (very pleasing dark flavor with hints of espresso) and New Belgium black Ale (mild, darker beer with sweet notes) mostly because of the recipe used. The recipe called for chocolate that was melted and worked into the wet ingredients. I also folded the egg whites into the ingredients at the end before piping into the cake pan. The cake was moist and had hints of espresso. It went very well with the chocolate ganache frosting glazed on top.

Lagunitas Chocolate Cupcake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

 

New Belgium 1554 Black Ale small cakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

The Anchor Steam (deep, creamy and smooth with slight coffee flavor) and Alaska Porter (strong smoked flavor, full and dark, very mild after taste) cakes had great flavor but the recipe made a crumbly cake. It also called for cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate which I do not prefer. The beer was delicious and went really well with the salted caramel buttercream frosting piped on top.

 Anchor Steam Porter Chocolate Cupcake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Alaska 2009 Smoked Porter Jumbo Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

And last but not least...Marin Blueberry Ale (lighter ale with a strong blueberry essence). This would make a great vanilla beer cupcake. Unfortunately, the beer was too light for the chocolaty goodness I was going for

Overall, once you find a dark, robust beer, whether it be smoked or espresso flavored, I don't think you can go wrong. Next would be finding the perfect cake recipe to compliment the beer :) and I think I found mine. Tips: Try melted chocolate instead cocoa powder and folding in the egg whites at the end as it does help make for a fluffy cake. 

Flight of Dark Chocolate Beer Cupcakes ready for delivery!

 

Bake on,
Sarah

The Doyle's Dont Just Like Beer...

We love chocolate too! Last weekend I made a Porter Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate ganache and Buttercream Frosting...yes I said Porter, for Colin's 32nd birthday. The cakes I make are individual size, either for two or one serving each for 4. Perfect really if you don't want an entire cake hanging around the house. With the left over batter I can usually squeeze in a dozen or dozen and a half of cupcakes.

This was the first beer dessert I've made and I was so pleased it came out so well. I think Grandma Doyle would have been pleased as well. The house smelt like if you can envision walking into a pub right off the chocolate river in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. YUMMY! You wouldn't think beer and chocolate but it actually makes for a light and moist cake. I got the recipe off of smittenkitchen but I made a few changes to what I had in the kitchen. This would be my adaptation. Go ahead and bake on! and let me know what you think!



Porter Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate ganache and Butter Cream Frosting

For the Porter Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup porter, I used Black Butte Porter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Ganache Filling
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream Frosting
3 cups confections sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup porter and 1 cup 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 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add porter-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 among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 14-17 minutes. You can also divide the batter between cake pans as I did and continue to check the cakes for done'ness after 10 min. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer or talent with a paring knife, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. Make sure not to cut all the way through the cupcake liner. Put the ganache into a piping bag (or ziplock with the corner cut off) with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting is thick to spread drizzle in the cream. To ice and decorate the cupcakes I used an Ateco 809 tip to make the poof of buttercream and topped with chocolate covered blueberries.