Recipes: Not Too Bitter, Not Too Sweet

RECIPES NOT TOO BITTER, NOT TOO SWEET How to bake a triple stout and ginger cake

TRIPLE GINGER AND STOUT CAKE Makes a one layer cake

Sam Linsell, top South African food stylist and Drizzle and Dip blogger, has done it again with beer, this time creating a triple ginger and stout cake with a stout butterscotch sauce.

“If you are a lover of all things ginger in baked goodies like I am, then this one is for you,” says Sam. “I have used three types of ginger which each add their own ‘gingery’ flavour dimension as they act as independent components. They also do not overwhelm, so if you are a real gingerhead, you can add more,” says Sam. The cake itself is not overly sweet with the stout bringing a smidge of desired bitterness to the flavour. A rich amber caramel sauce is made with the remainder of the beer.

For those who would like to try it at home, see the recipe below.

Ingredients Cake

• ¾ cup Castle Milk Stout Chocolate Infused • 120g of butter • ½ cup (110g) brown treacle sugar or muscavado • ¼ cup golden syrup such as Lyles • 1 egg • 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger • 1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved ginger in syrup • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • ½ teaspoon salt • pinch of white pepper • pinch of ground nutmeg • 1 ¾ cups (230g) flour • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Stout butterscotch sauce

• 1x 340ml bottle Castle Milk Stout

Chocolate Infused • 2 tablespoon butter • 1 ½ cups sugar • 1 cup cream • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 – 2 teaspoon/s sea salt flakes

Instructions

• To make the cake, place the stout and butter in a small pan and bring it to boiling point. Cook briefly and stir until the butter has dissolved. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool a little. • Add the stout/ butter mix to a large bowl with the sugar and golden syrup and whisk until it’s well combined. • Add the egg and whisk again. • Add all the spices and whisk. • Sift the flour and baking soda in by hand and whisk briefly until smooth (it will be fairly runny). • Decant this into a lined 20cm cake tin (square or round), tap the filled pan to remove and bubbles and bake for 30 – 35 minutes. The cake is done when it’s springy to the touch and when a sharp knife pierced into the thickest part comes out clean • While the cake is baking, make your butterscotch sauce. • The quantities make a little more than you need for the cake but store the rest in a sterilized jar and use with other desserts. • Bring the Castle Milk Stout Chocolate

Infused and butter to the boil in a medium sized pan and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes until it has reduced by more than half. Add the sugar and continue to let this cook, stirring frequently until it reaches 110C / 225F on a sugar thermometer. This will take around 15 minutes. • When it has reached temperature, add the cream while stirring constantly. Carry on cooking this until it thickens more. Once it has reached 105c on the thermometer it is ready. It will also thicken more as it cools. • Let the cake cool to room temperature and then pour the warm sauce over to serve.

Keep any extra on the side to serve.

Cooking notes:

• Pre heat the oven to 180C and line a 20 – 22cm square or round cake tin with baking paper. • If you are making this in advance, heat the sauce up a little before serving.