Chocolate And Stout...

What a combination. I had made (for St. Patty's Day) Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes and found out that chocolate and stout smell delicious together. So I had to figure out a vegan recipe for me to try out the combination. In one of my cookbooks, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I found just that, a Chocolate Stout Cupcake. For work I was thinking of making a chocolate coconut cake, but the chef I work for asked me how I felt of doing a take on a black and tan. So I was thinking yea sounds fun. I knew I had the recipe and I wanted to try it out, here was my chance. I decided to still top the cake with chocolate sauce and toasted coconut. I need to investigate vegan beers and other brews so I can play around even more with alcoholic baked goods. My momma and I were toying around with the idea of making different types of cakes with different alcoholics in them, but that is yet to come. So I made the cake recipe as it told me to, yes I followed the recipe exactly for once, the only thing I did do was double it to make enough for dinner service and for the recipe to fit in a 13x9 inch pan. Here is how my dessert came out and the recipe:

Chocolate Stout Cake

Crumb Topping:
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I of course used whole wheat white)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
1/4 cup sugar (I used Florida crystals, which is a raw sugar)
2 tablespoons canola oil

Cake:
3/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup stout
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Confectioners' sugar for dusting cupcakes for service, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line muffin tin with paper liners.

For the crumb topping:

In a small bowl sift the flour, cocoa, and sugar. Slowly drizzle in the oil as you toss the mixture with a fork (or use your hands like I do). Crumbs will start to form, you may not need to add all of the oil.

For the cake:

Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, and salt together.

Add the stout, sugar, oil, and vanilla to the soy milk mix and beat until foamy.

Add liquid to dry in two batches (or you can do it their way and add dry to wet in two batches) and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour into liners, filling them three-quarters of the way.

Gently sprinkle with the crumb topping, trying not to let the crumbs sink into the batter. Bake 20 to 22 minutes.

Once cooled dust with powdered sugar. This recipe is for 12 cupcakes.

So I made them with the sugar for service, but I had some left over beer and I wanted to use it, but I was out of sugar and I wanted to actually eat these. There is a recipe for agave nectar cake (which I have made and is really good) that got me thinking. Let's use this recipe, make it chocolate and add the stout. Good idea, I know! So I did just that. I had only 1/4 cup of soy milk left and 1/2 a cup of beer, so I used the beer in place of some of the soy milk.

Agave Nectar Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Topping:
1/4 cup whole wheat white flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons canola oil

Mix the flour and cocoa together. Add the agave and oil and mix to make crumbly. (This time I used a spatula to mix them together, then I used my hands to make it crumbly. A way better idea I might add.)

Cake:
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup stout
1 1/3 cup whole wheat white flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line cupcake pan with liners. Mix the soy milk and vinegar. Combine all dry ingredients together. Add the agave, oil, stout, and vanilla to the soy milk. In two bathes, add the liquid to the dry. Beat for 2 minutes. Fill the cupcake pan 3/4 full with batter. Top with the crumb and bake 20 to 22 minutes.

For both cakes I had to bake them longer than what they stated in the recipe. The 13x9 inch took 35 minutes (which I knew it would be longer) but the cupcake took 25 minutes or so.

So there you go, they came out great, both types.

Here are some other pictures from Friday's meal:

Perogies filled with potato and sauerkraut topped with caramelized onions and red chile oil.

Rice cake over mixed greens with guacamole, caramelized onions, asparagus, and toasted hazelnuts.

I will be making my own fresh peroiges for Sunday, so expect that recipe to come.