Boozefood – Chocolate Espresso Beer Cake

By The Lady

So, it was The Gentleman’s birthday recently, and he stated that he wanted to try making Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness Cake from her book Feast. I slapped the spatula out of his hand and insisted that one cannot simply make their own birthday cake, one must have said cake made for them! So, to the kitchen I went!

I decided I would try something a little different because a) I like to try new things and b) I was not prepared and had no Guinness handy (really, it was more b!) Instead of using Guinness, I substituted it for Hitachino Nest’s Espresso Stout. I decided to go for this beer because like Guinness, it is also a stout and I felt like (hoped) the chocolate flavour already in the cake combined with the espresso flavour would truly be a flavour sensation! I made some changes to Nigella’s recipe to compliment the coffee/chocolate combination, which I think were tasty and worthwhile additions!

Ingredients

250 mL Hatachino Nest Espresso Stout

250 gm unsalted butter

1 Teaspoon of Seven Seeds Espresso Coffee

75 gm cocoa powder

400 gm caster sugar

142 mL Sour Cream

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

275 gm plain flour

2 ½ bicarbonate soda

150mL cream cheese

75 gm icing sugar

65mL double cream

For the cake

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a springform tin.

Pour your beer into a large saucepan and gradually add the butter and heat all until butter just melted. Also, add the Seven Seeds Espresso coffee while the butter is melting.

While your beer and butter are melting away, whisk in the cocoa and caster sugar.

Beat your sour cream with the eggs and vanilla.

Pour sour cream, egg and vanilla mixture into the beer/buttery saucepan.

Lastly,  whisk in the flour and bicarb.

Pour your cake mixture into the lined springform pan and bake for 45 minutes (Nigella says 45 – 60 minutes, but I would suggest checking in on your cake at 45 minutes!)

Remove cake from oven and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack. When completely cool, place on your desired cake stand/plate/platter!

For the Icing

Beat together double cream, cream cheese with electric hand beaters. Gradually add sifted icing sugar. Pour icing over cake and spread away to your heart’s desire! (Nigella’s recipe actually used twice as much of the ingredients for the icing, but I found that made way too much, so the measurements in our recipe are adjusted to what would be a suitable amount for this cake!). In her recipe, Nigella suggests icing the cake to look like a frothy Guinness. We feel like our beer cake looks more like an over-excited beer whose foam has fallen over the edge of the glass (much like how I feel when I see Nigella – a little over-exited and unable to contain myself!)

The resulting cake was perfect for a birthday cake as it was rich and decadent, two requirements in birthday celebrations! The Chocolate Espresso Beer Cake had a lovely moist and fudgey texture with a crispy edge, which was a delightful combination. The icing complimented the cake well, but as I mentioned earlier, the original measurements resulted in an overload of icing, so I have halved it for your cake baking convenience. Considering the cake had a large amount of sugar, it was not overly sweet which is always a delight. The coffee flavour was quite subtle, so this cake wouldn’t scare off coffee haters (in fact, The Gentleman’s granddad is a coffee hater and he found the cake to be quite enjoyable!). One of our cake tasters even said that it had a nutty, pecan-like flavour, despite containing no nuts! Overall, I think we all enjoyed celebrating The Gentleman’s birthday in Chocolate Espresso Beer Cake style!

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On The Shelf – Clare Valley Brewing ‘Miss Molly’ Grape Cider

By The Lady

So, The Gentleman and I were strolling through one of my favourite liquor stores Parade Cellars in Norwood when we stumbled upon a beautiful woman. Naturally, I turned to The Gentleman and said “I need this woman in my life!” So, we picked up this beautiful, lovely looking sailor girl off the shelf and took her home. The woman in question is actually Miss Molly – the pinup girl character featured on the label of Clare Valley Brewing Company’s Miss Molly Grape Cider.

Neither of us had ever had a grape cider, so we were curious as to how it would taste. Miss Molly had a very light colour, similar to a white wine. I suppose this is not surprising as it is, in fact, also made with grapes! It is almost like the love child of cider and moscato, so we felt like it would be great for somebody who wanted to start transitioning from cider into wine. Miss Molly was not as sweet as some ciders, a pleasant surprise which resulted in all the fruity flavours being illuminated and enhanced. Miss Molly would be great for an afternoon when you have a hankering for a light drink rather than something rather strong or boozy (an adult kind of pick-me-up!). Alternatively, if you prefer lighter, less alcoholic tasting drinks, Miss Molly would be the drink for you! In the future, perhaps when the weather gets warmer, we would love to use some Miss Molly Grape Cider in some sort of Sangria or another Sunday afternoon-type cocktail.

The label design is simply gorgeous in addition to Miss Molly  being a rather enticing mascot for Clare Valley Brewing Company  while she stares at you, inviting you to have a taste. I love the colour combination of black, white, cream accompanied by the striking red sunset in the background behind Miss Molly as well as her deep red lips. The bottle cap was also a dandy design addition, with their brewery name being shaped into the silhouette of a charging bull. We here at The Cocktail Challenge adore refreshing, thoughtful and creative label design, so we’re looking forward to checking out some of the Clare Valley Brewing Company’s other drinks  which possess similarly dapper labels including their Red Ale, the Bulls Eye Australian Pale Ale, and the King Kong Stout.  All in all, Miss Molly was a lovely Sunday afternoon drink which The Gentleman and I look forward to sampling more of in the future!

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On The Shelf – Causes & Cures Semi Dry White Vermouth

By The Lady

 

Another recent addition to the shelf is a bottle of Causes & Cures Semi Dry White Vermouth created in Yarra Valley, Australia. (Hooray for the local lads and ladies!). This particular vermouth uses a selection of herbs such as orris root, wormwood, saffron, star anise and bay leaf to name a few. I would be interested to try it with some Gabriel Boudier Saffron Gin to highlight some of the saffron notes. The label describes a medieval treatise that recorded “beneficial and restorative powers of all known herbs and spices” which was also called ‘Causes & Cures’, hence where I am guessing their name comes from.

Let’s be honest, as much as I pretend I’m not when I stroll through my local liquor store, I really am a sucker for stylish labels. And this Causes & Cures label is one dapper label. The heptagon framing the brand, name of the drink and logo is intersected by notations regarding its creation and ingredients. The selections of fonts is aesthetically pleasing and aids in making it a unique and interesting label. Additionally, I am interested to find out more about the creature featured within the brand’s logo and on the cap of the bottle. Curiouser and curiouser.

 

Not really having had much vermouth previously, aside from in cocktails (aka a chilled mixture of deliciousness), I was curious as to the ways in which one might serve vermouth on its own. I somewhat followed the suggestion on the side of the bottle and was pleasantly surprised. I used :

30 mL Causes & Cures Semi Dry White Vermouth

Juice of about half an orange

An orange twist

Lots of ice

 

The resulting drink was very smooth and rather tasty, if i don’t say so myself! I initially thought it may taste too strong by itself, but this vermouth has such a clean, crisp and refreshing flavour – just the right balance of strength and subtlety. The orange compliments this liquor extremely well, so thanks for the tip Causes & Cures! Being a small batch craft vermouth, supplies are limited so if you are eager I would suggest to snap up your own bottle quick smart.

 

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On The Shelf- Breuckelen Distilling Glorious Gin

As part of my cocktail journey I am still seeking out well designed and interesting distillers and brewers to help broaden my spirit knowledge. For my birthday I was lucky to receive a bottle of Breuckelen Distilling’s Glorious Gin. As you might expect Breuckelen Distilling are located in Brooklyn, New York. They mill, mash, ferment, distill, mature, fill, and label each and every bottle of spirits they produce, placing a real emphasis on being made by hand.

Glorious Gin

I’m yet to open my bottle but the site claims the Glorious Gin is distilled with juniper, lemon, rosemary, ginger, and grapefruit. It sounds like quite a flavorful combination and I’m really looking to opening it and pairing it with some nice tonic water and a slice of grapefruit to just appreciate the flavors.

Glorious Gin

The label is beautiful and elegant, utilising black and white to really standout on the clear bottle. On the shelf it has a striking presence and the flowing typography of the label really catches the eye. It is a simple, clean bottle which is just the sort of thing I like. It also gets bonus points for including a random dog on the back of the bottle. Seriously, puppies win every time.

If the Glorious Gin tastes half as good as it looks then I’ll be in for a real treat.

 

UPDATE: The guys at Breuckelen Distilling got back to me on Twitter to inform me that the puppy on the bottle is not Random, but Charlie the very happy Breuckelen Distilling booze hound.

@CocktailChallen Random? That’s Charlie, not Random. pic.twitter.com/BrNbLpmGJo

— BreuckelenDistilling (@BrkDistilling) April 13, 2014

 

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On The Shelf- Rocland Estate’s Chocolate Box GSM

On a trip to Paris I was force fed red wine. The people I met and stayed with looked at me with complete confusion when I mentioned I’d never drunk red wine and they quickly remedied the situation. They informed me that it was something that you needed to keep at to develop an appreciation for the flavor and I’ve taken that advice and run with it, never turning down an opportunity to have a glass or two (or three) of red. While I enjoy a glass of red I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to selecting wine, but luckily winemakers are some of the most adventurous and inspired when it comes to developing their labels. This bottle of Chocolate Box GSM is a prime example and while I couldn’t keep the bottle because it was a gift I purchased for someone else it will certainly be taking a place On The Shelf very soon.

The Chocolate Box GSM is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro from the Barossa Valley and made by Rocland Estate who are based in Nurioopta, South Australia. The dominant flavors are chocolate and cherry with a bit of spice and vanilla. The maker states that it leaves a “persistent, lingering silky finish.” Normally I wouldn’t read much into a description like that but I was surprised to find the wine went down very smoothly and in fact did have a persistent aftertaste that left a really nice, silky taste in the mouth. Needless to say the bottle did not last very long.

The label is very nice. I’m a sucker for a pretty lady and the one on the GSM is gorgeous. She reminds me of the Elvgren girls of the 40’s and 50’s as she has that very classic look. She’s not in a revealing pose or anything, we actually only see her from the shoulders up, but she just has a nice smile and its a real classy image. I also appreciate that the image of the girl is also used on the seal near the top of the bottle. Its just a nice touch that you often don’t see. The color pattern and the font for the label are also very good. Chocolate Box is written clearly, in bold and really stands out due to its simplicity. The red also makes a bold statement.

I have to say though, the people at Rocland Estate are a devious lot. Each bottle of the Chocolate Box range has a different girl on the label, which means that not only am I going to have to purchase another bottle of this delicious GSM but I’m also going to have to purchase the complete range of Chocolate Box wines so I have the whole set.

 

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On The Shelf- East 9th’s Fog City Red Sangria

Standing at the bar of local establishment The Colonist the girl asked me what I wanted to drink. Scanning the fridges that lined the wall I was struck by the image of a girl, draped in a white sheet with her hand entwined with that of a tentacle of unknown origin against a dark red/maroon background. I didn’t even know what it was, but I just pointed at it and said to the girl “That one.” In response the girl said something about how it was new and she hadn’t tried it yet, but I was just captivated by the image on the bottle. It turns out I’d ordered a bottle of Red Sangria and was to be treated to a drink as delicious as it was beautiful.

The Fog City Red Sangria is made by Australian brewer East 9th. They operate under the ethos of the free movement from San Francisco, popping up across Melbourne to let lucky customers sample their latest offerings. The Red Sangria is “made from the ripest of red wine grapes and blended with natural citrus fruit flavours”. Pouring it into the glass it had an amazingly dark and deep red colour.

My previous experience with sangria was limited to a homemade variety at a friends party. The balance was terrible and drinking it was a courtesy to the host all the while my liver and taste buds were screaming at me to stop. As a result I approached this bottle of Fog City with some caution, but it was completely unnecessary. At first the drink was very dry, but after letting it sit on my tongue I was treated to a sweet, fruity flavour that was very nice and quite refreshing. After that first mouthful the rest of the very large bottle was gone rather quickly.

 

Even today, after having the bottle for sometime, the gaze of the girl still captures my attention as she sits on my shelf. Who is she? What is she doing? I want to know more about this person and she’s just a drawing on a sangria bottle! I think that’s when you know you’ve crafted a truly remarkable label for a truly remarkable drink. On The Shelf it goes!

 

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