Rooting Through Recipes - Root Beer Cake

My nephew has 2 great loves in his life. OK, 3 if you count his girlfriend, but we are talking about food right now.  Chocolate covered Cherries and Root Beer.  I am fairly sure that he does not consume them both at the same time, then again, he IS 19, so it's quite possible that he does. Because of his love for chocolate covered cherries, it has become a tradition for me to make him a Black Forest Cake for his birthday.   But this last October was a little bit different.

With the loss of my Grandmother, his Great-Grandmother, in October things just went all kinds of crazy 'round here and in with all the hubbub going on around his birthday... Well, his cake was sort of forgotten this last year.  Poor kid. :(

Since that time, I have been attempting to compile all of Grandma's recipes (lord have mercy, but there are tons) into some semblance of a cook book.  While going to the box of cake recipes (Yes, it was a box. A BIG box) I came across an interesting one for a Root Beer cake.  I am familiar with Coca-Cola cake, but I had never heard of Root Beer cake. I don't think it was one of Grandma's regular offerings.  Then again, she did A LOT of baking for A LOT of people.

I asked my nephew if he thought it sounded interesting, since he is such a root beer nut.  He was ALL over the idea.  That is, with the proviso that I use A&W Root Beer.  LOL

So, even though it's 4 months late....  Happy Birthday Blaine!

Root Beer Cake

with Root Beer Ermine Frosting

 
1 cup (8 oz)(226g) Unsalted Butter (plus more for the pans)
2 1/2 cups (10 oz)(283g) Cake Flour (plus more for the pans)
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup A&W Root Beer
3 tsp Root Beer Extract
1 1/2 cups (10.5 oz)(300g) Granulated Sugar
4 large Eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Butter and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans.

Place Flour, Baking Powder and Salt in a medium bowl, whisking to combine.

In a small pitcher, combine Root Beer and Root Beer extract.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add Eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition before adding the next.

Flour and Root Beer mixture, alternating, beginning and ending with the Flour.

Beat 1 minute longer to ensure everything is homogeneous.

Divide batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning once, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Turn the cakes out and allow to cool completely.

While you are waiting for the cake to cool, go ahead and make.............

Root Beer Ermine Frosting:
3/4 cup Whole Milk
1/3 cup Root Beer
3 1/2 TB AP Flour
healthy pinch of Salt
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Root Beer Extract

Combine Milk, Root Beer and Flour in a saucepan, whisking until the flour "dissolves".

Place over medium flame and cook, whisking constantly, until it thickens enough for a line to show on the surface for 10 seconds before sinking into the mixture (I use a soap making term for this, called "Trace")

Remove from the flame and pour into a bowl to stop the cooking.

Cover on the surface with plastic wrap to prevent crusting.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat Butter and Sugar until fluffy.

Add Root Beer extract and beat until combined.

Once the Flour/Milk mixture is still warm, but not hot (a little warmer than "lukewarm"), set the mixer on medium speed and begin adding the flour mixture to the Butter mixture, 1 TB at a time, beating well after each addition.

Once you have added all of the Flour mixture to the Butter, beat for an additional 3-5 minutes.

You should hear the tell tale "slapping" sound that Butter Creme frosting makes.

Frost the cake, reserving about 1/2 cup for piping purposes and top with "Root Beer Barrel" Candy.

Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. (Ermine frosting needs to stay refrigerated cause it begins to melt above 70 degrees)

It's REALLY not as sweet as you would think.  Which surprised me, but so moist and dense, yet tender that it would not have mattered HOW sweet it was.  It's just delicious.

Mangia!!

Break out your POM POMs Cause I Need a Cheering Section

I entered the POM wonderful Cupcake contest... LOL 

The most tantalizing array of Pomegranate Cupcakes you ever did see.

Voting begins on February 14th

Check it out...



Yes, I am kind of soliciting votes... I am a bad man. ;)

Mangia!!
~~

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling - Guinness With a Floater of Bailey's

I have heard of Guinness Chocolate cake for awhile now.
I decided that, since I had 3 bottles of Guinness left over from St. Patrick's Day, I would go ahead and try it. For some reason the recipes didn't seem to jive, or rather, just didn't look "right". One, looked like it had way too much Baking Powder, which causes over-raising in the oven, which increases the possibility of fallen cake. The one from the actual Guinness web site never specified the size of pan. The last one I found contained Baking Soda, with no acid added (so where is the leavening). It actually sounded more like it was a Guinness Brownie, which sounds pretty good to me, but I wanted a cake. I finally found one that looked "normal" so I used that as my base. And because I ALWAYS have to mess with things; I altered the recipe. I can't help myself, it's a sickness. So what did I alter?

• I added 2 oz of 55% chocolate, melted with the butter and beer
• Added a pinch of Cayenne (Chocolate ALWAYS needs Cayenne, just a hint of warmth)
• Reduced the Baking Soda by 1/4 tsp, to make the batter a little more acidic.
• Separated the eggs and folded in the whites, after beating to stiff peaks, at the end for a little more lift. This is why I acidified the batter, to stabilize the egg whites.

Thankfully, it produced the texture in the cake that I was looking for, dense, but tender and moist.

I had already decided to use an Irish Cream Frosting... I was thinking of the alcoholic beer cocktail known as the "Irish Car Bomb". My original plan was an Italian Meringue ButterCrème flavored with some Bailey's... Then I remembered the Ermine frosting traditionally used on Red Velvet cake. The mouth feel of the frosting is similar to the feel of the foam on a pint of Guinness. All I needed to do is replace about 1/3 cup of the Milk with 1/3 cup Bailey's, add an extra 2 tsp of flour and reduce the sugar by about 3 TB.

Thus a cake is born.

Guinness Cake With a Floater of Bailey's

-or- Irish Car Bomb Cake

Natural Cocoa powder (Dust the baking pans)
1 cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Guinness
2/3 cup Dutch Cocoa Powder
2 oz 55-65% Dark Chocolate
Pinch of Cayenne
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 cups AP flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
2 large eggs; Separated
1/2 cup sour cream
Irish Butter Creme (below)

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Line two greased 8 inch pans with buttered parchment, then dust pans with natural cocoa powder.

In a heavy saucepan melt the butter with the Guinness and the Dutched Cocoa and 2 oz 55% dark Chocolate until smooth.

Remove from heat, stir in the Cayenne and salt, then set aside to cool.

Whisk the Flour, Sugar and Baking Soda together in a large bowl.

Add the cooled Guinness/Butter/Cocoa mixture beating at medium speed until well combined.

Add the egg yolks & sour Cream and beat 2 minutes more.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form.

Fold egg whites into batter.

Divide batter between the 2 prepared pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack, cool for 15 minutes, Slip spatula around the sides, unmold, peel parchment and cool completely.


Frost With Bailey's Ermine Frosting…….

1/3 cup Bailey's
2/3 cup Whole Milk
3 TB + 2 tsp AP Flour
Pinch of Salt
1 cup Unsalted butter
3/4 cup + 1 TB Granulated Sugar

In case you have not seen my post on Ermine frosting , here is a synopsis of the directions.

Whisk together Bailey's, Milk and Flour while everything is cold.
Place over medium-low flame and cook, whisking constantly until thickened.

Pour into a clean bowl to stop cooking and cover with plastic wrap on the surface to prevent crusting.

While the Custard is cooling, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

The custard will still be a little warm, that is OK, you just don't want it to be Hot.
Begin adding the custard, while the mixer is running on medium speed, by 1 TB at a time.
Wait until the previous TB has been well incorporated before adding the next.

When all the custard has been added, turn the mixer speed to medium-high and continue beating for about 3 minutes.

It is done when you hear a slapping sound against the side of the bowl (This is true of other ButterCrèmes as well).

OK, Cake Frost-age 101:

Now that your cake is cooled and your Ermine frosting is made.
Select a plate, and spread a little frosting on it to anchor the bottom layer to the plate.

Add about 1/2-3/4 cup of the frosting to the layer for a filling,

Place the top layer .

Place 1/2 - 3/4 cup on the top layer and spread ALL over the cake in a very thin "crumb" coat. This will hold down any crumbs and keep your final layer of frosting (The stuff thats left in the bowl) clean of crumbs.

Chill the cake for 30 minutes before applying the final coat of icing.

Apply the remainder of the frosting and spread evenly over the cake moving the frosting from the top and down the sides.

Final Coating and a little bit of decor (You didn't think I was gonna throw away the bottle cap did you?)

Ta Da!!!
Not my smoothest frosting job, but with this particular cake I am not so much worried about the presentation, it's more about the flavor in this case.

Ermine Wrapped Velvet

I love frosting…
I am thoroughly convinced that the only reason cake was invented, is as a vehicle to get the frosting into your mouth when a spoon is not readily available. Most people are familiar with ButterCreme – (just say no to margarine) be it American, French, Italian or Swiss. Then there is Pseudo-ButterCream, Confectioners sugar, milk and a lot of butter. There is 7-Minute frosting, Sea foam Frosting, Burnt Sugar Frosting; Browned Butter Frosting…. I could go on, but these are the classics through the ages. Then suddenly, Carrot Cake hit Studio 54 and Cream Cheese Frosting and Leisure Suits were all the rage. I count this a good thing, for I adore Cream Cheese; not so much the Leisure Suits….

Then, the Yuppies came……
And as time in the kitchen decreased during the "dot com" boom, more and more pre-packaged “Tub” frostings adorned the cakes being haphazardly tossed together during cell phone conversations. A glimmer of hope remained though, for a few real frostings, blessedly bereft of hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, survived in little pockets across America…

But one, in particular seems to have been dethroned from its rightful place; ruthlessly supplanted by a stronger contender.

Cream Cheese Frosting, for it was young, spry, quick, and nimble and only required 3 ingredients.
So what frosting is this that I speak of…? The humble yet deliciously unparalleled Ermine Frosting... whose rightful place is draped across an expanse of Red Velvet Cake. Yes, that is right, and thanks be to my Grandmother, for she kept this frosting alive in our family, never succumbing to the simple allure of the Cream Cheese.

OK, now that this is starting to sound like a prologue to a B movie.…

What the heck is Ermine Frosting, you ask?

Ermine frosting is a “Boiled milk” frosting, sometimes referred to as “Butter Roux”, although that is not technically correct, since it is not based on a roux. Ermine frosting is simply a different method of making a ButterCreme using the gluten in flour and casein in milk to create a suspension, instead of the albumen in egg whites like Swiss and Italian ButterCreme or an emulsion with egg yolks like French ButterCreme…

So what makes Ermine so special?

Well, it has to do with the mouth feel of the gluten vs. albumen. While ButterCreme is the "ultimate" when it comes to silky smooth and creamy, Ermine is a little more dense, but at the same time, just as light, creating a paradox. If ButterCreme is silk, Ermine is, as it’s name implies, Mink/Ermine. Light, smooth, soft and creamy, but firm with slightly more body.

I urge you to try this frosting the next time you indulge in a Red Velvet Cake… Restore this neglected frosting to it’s rightful place, you will NOT be disappointed.

Ermine Frosting

It does need to be refrigerated though, just like French and American ButterCreme, as it does not stand up well to temps above 70 degrees.

1 cup Whole Milk
3 TB AP (All-Purpose) Flour
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 cup unsalted Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

Whisk flour into milk and place over medium heat in a small sauce pan.


Cook mixture, whisking frequently, until thickened; (when a drizzle of the mixture leaves lines in the top for just a couple of seconds before “melting” back into the mass)

Remove mixture from heat and whisk in salt;
Pour into a bowl to stop cooking, covering with plastic wrap on the surface to prevent crusting.
In a stand mixer, begin creaming the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add vanilla and mix to combine.

When milk mixture is slightly cooled; add 1 TB at a time to the creamed butter mixture while the mixer is running on medium speed.
Slowly but surely the gluten will pull in the butter into a pseudo emulsion (I think it's actually a suspension).
You should have an extremely fluffy, light and buttery frosting when completed.

And what vehicle should you use to eat this divine frosting????

Why, Red Velvet Cake, or course....

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/4 cups Cake Flour 
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1 TB Natural Cocoa Powder (Not Dutch)
1 tsp Vanilla (Bourbon)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Kosher Salt 
optional – 1/2 oz red food coloring (try to find one made with red #40 allura ONLY, as red #3 has been shown to cause Thyroid cancer)
optional - About 1 pint of raspberries to "smush" between the layers

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease and flour the bottom only of 2 9-inch cake pans, or grease and line with parchment rounds.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Whisk together the Flour and Salt.
Combine the Cocoa, Vanilla and Red food color (If you are foregoing the food color, whisk the cocoa into the flour and salt mixture and add the vanilla to the buttermilk).
Add eggs to the creamed butter mixture and beat a little longer, until well combined.
Add the cocoa mixture and mix 30 seconds. just until color becomes uniform
Add Buttermilk and flour mixture, alternating, beginning and ending with the buttermilk.
Measure 1 tsp Baking Soda into a small dish, add the Cider Vinegar and let it foam a little.
Add to the cake batter and incorporate with a few quick strokes.
Working quickly, so you don’t loose the leavening power of the soda, divide the batter between 2 cake pans.
Bake cake for 35–40 minutes or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes, turn cakes out onto a cooling rack.
Chill, covered in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before frosting.

Mangia!!
~~