Served with Dark Chocolate Porter Ganache & Porter Whipped Cream
I think cake for breakfast is appropriate considering the current circumstances. Treat yourself! Stop by for a slice of cake...or two! The only thing missing is a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, but homemade porter whipped cream will suffice.
Wyndridge Farm (@wyndridgefarm) Barn Dog Chocolate Vanilla Imperial Porter acted as an amazing ingredient for this cake. This brew is crafted with Madagascar vanilla beans and Ghana cacao nibs, giving it its rich, dark, and smooth qualities, which lended in creating an exceptionally delicious treat!
I also cannot wait to use this Martha Stewart (@marthastewart) bundt pan again. Its Art Nouveau and Art Deco qualities created such a unique and captivating design!
INGREDIENTS
CAKE: 1 ¼ cups porter
⅓ cup Grandma’s Original Unsulphured Molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ⅔ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder, more for pan
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper, optional
¼ tsp ground nutmeg, optional
⅛ tsp ground clove, optional
1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup dark chocolate morsels, finely chopped
GANACHE: 10 oz 60% cacao dark chocolate chips
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
2 tbsp porter
1 tbsp unsalted butter
WHIPPED CREAM: 1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp porter
⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
CAKE:
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-12 cup bundt pan and lightly coat with sifted cocoa powder. Tap out an excess cocoa.
In a small saucepan, bring the porter (feel free to use your favorite porter or stout), molasses, and vanilla extract to a low boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand.
Using a fine mesh sieve, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Set aside.
In a food processor, add the chocolate morsels and manually pulse until they are finely chopped, but not dusty. Set aside.
With a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again until just incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and porter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Then beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 15-20 seconds. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, spreading it with a spatula. Run a knife through the batter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging onto it. Set the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes to allow the cake to rest. Invert the cake onto the rack and remove from the pan.
GANACHE:
Add the chocolate to a medium heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
Add the heavy cream to a small saucepan and add the porter. Heat the cream mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
Carefully add the hot cream to the chocolate, stirring until all the chocolate has melted, then immediately add the butter and stir until melted.
WHIPPED CREAM:
In a small mixing bowl, sift the confectioners sugar using a sieve.
Add the heavy whipping cream and confectioners sugar to a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form. While the mixer is running add the porter (or stout) and vanilla, beat until soft peaks return.
To serve: Pour the ganache over the cake prior to cutting. Cut an inch slice from the cake, using the contour shape from the bundt pan as a guide. Add more ganache and top with a tablespoon of whipped cream and garnish with a small sprig of mint leaves.
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