by Graham Herterich from Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists (Nine Bean Rows)
Photography: Jo Murphy
The first time I tasted the Salted Caramel Pastry Stout from the White Hag Brewing Company in Sligo, I just knew I had to make a cake with it. In a serendipitous moment, the following day, Lisa from the Dublin Liberties Distillery introduced me to their Irish Whiskey and Honeycomb Liqueur. That was it – these two just had to be married in cake!
Serves 8
Ingredients
200g butter
100g cocoa powder
150ml White Hag Brewing Co. Salted Caramel Pastry Stout (or a regular stout)
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
350g caster sugar
200ml sour cream
2 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
For the honeycomb whiskey frosting:
150g butter, softened
300g icing sugar
4 tbsp Dubliner Irish Whiskey and Honeycomb Liqueur (or Irish Mist or regular whiskey)
To decorate:
2 honeycomb chocolate bars, broken into pieces
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round springform tin.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cocoa powder and stout, mixing well.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the stout mixture, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Mix well using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until you have a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before releasing the sides of the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, put the butter, icing sugar and liqueur in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer again, combine the ingredients slowly at first until everything is combined, then mix at a high speed for about 5 minutes, until everything is whipped to a light, fluffy, spreadable consistency.
Pile the frosting on top of the cooled cake and spread to the edges using a palette knife or spoon. Decorate with the broken honeycomb chocolate bars.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish.
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