This Gingerbread Stout Cake is a moist gingerbread stout bundt cake all covered in an ale based caramel sauce.
I am NOT a cocktail girl.
I could think of a lot of cocktails but really wanting to make one into a dessert wasn’t whipping me into a frenzy of excitement ( where I once again probably break the Top Chef Just Desserts rules).
I’m a beer girl through and through.
One does not throw back a Cosmo or Mojito while watching hockey…it’s against nature.
After a week of pouring through cookbooks, I even have one dedicated to Booze, I ended up saying screw it and went with what I love.
Beer, a black and tan of sorts to be exact.
There are lots of stout cakes out there.
Almost all of them are chocolate stout cakes that come out for St. Patrick’s Day.
I really loved the idea of the Gingerbread Stout Cake I saw on Epicurious awhile back that then showed up on Deb’s site.
That gave me the black of the black and tan but I needed the tan.
Enter the caramel made with ale.
I chose to go with orange blossom ale, as I think gingerbread and orange go together in a delightful way.
If you don’t know, stout cakes tend to be moist and dense, and this is exactly that.
You can not taste a ton of beer in the beer caramel, but just a hint, which is nice.
Same goes for the stout in the cake, but you know it’s there.
This is the perfect ending to a meal, especially a Saturday night one, while watching Hockey Night in Canada. 🙂
Which, FYI- Hockey starts tonight! In fact, this is also doubling as my contribution to Ivonne’s Hockey Night in Canada celebration as well as my Top Chef Just Desserts attempt.
I fear the next challenge I will not lie.
Wedding cakes and I are not friends (unless I am just eating them).
We shall see.
Everyone watch hockey tonight…it will make you a better person…promise. 🙂
If not, just make the cake instead.
P.S. It’s a great day to buy my cookbook Holy Sweet!
Want More Bundt Cake Recipes?
Strawberries and Cream Bundt Cake
Bourbon Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Bourbon Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
Bailey’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Bundt Cake
Gingerbread Stout Cake with Caramel Ale Sauce
Ingredients
- For the Gingerbread Stout Cake:
- 1 cup stout ( I chose to use Southern Tier Creme Brulee Milk Stout)
- 1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- For the Caramel Ale Sauce:
- 12 ounces Ale (I used Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Cream Ale)
- 2 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the Cake:
- Generously grease and dust with flour (or use baking spray) a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan or 8 mini bundt pans. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat.
- Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.
- Whisk together eggs and sugars.
- Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture.
- Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Pour batter into bundt pan (or divide evenly among mini pans) and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
- Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes (about 35 minutes for the minis).
- Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes.
- Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
- For the Sauce:
- Pour the ale into a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds.
- Add the butter and brown sugar and cook, stirring only when the mixture is in danger of boiling over, until thick and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the cream (it will splatter up!).
- Cook another 5 or 6 minutes, until thickened.Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Cool to warm, it will thicken up more as it cools.
- Pour over stout cake and add ice cream if desired.
The Blue-Eyed Bakers says
Oh good gosh. We are drooling over this…! Gingerbread, caramel and beer!? Yipes we’re in love!
Jeni says
Oh my. I’m salivating just thinking about it. Alas, I don’t think gluten-free beers will work – despite the best efforts of some fine brewers, GF beers don’t quite compare to a pint of hefeweizen.
I’m still inspired to trot out a gingerbread recipe, though. Yum!
Eliana says
You seriously need to issue food porn disclaimers when you do your blog posts. This looks SICK (and in good, you know)!
Desi says
Oh my! I agree about the food porn disclaimer. This pic is almost obscene! I’m going to have to make this!
Kristina @ spabettie says
oh, my… this looks amazing, as always!!
I want that Caramel-Ale with a straw…
Rosa says
OMG, that is so irresistible! *drool*
Cheers,
Rosa
Ivonne says
So. Freakin. Excited. You know it’s funny because I don’t think I have too many recipes that use liquor in a dessert. Shame! But this would make me happy on any hockey night!!!
Joanne says
I’m not gonna lie, I was excited to see what you were gonna make for this challenge. I actually don’t really like drinking beer but I love it in baked goods. As a result. I think I’m in love with this beer caramel. Awesomeness.
Jennifer says
Sounds perfect for the Oktoberfest party I’m planning. And your pictures are great!
Amalia says
another stour cake! No! They’re haunting me I wanna make one since LAST YEAR but I dont think they sell stout here! I love this one, it looks to die for! Thanks!
-Amalia
http://buttersweetmelody.wordpress.com/
Cakelaw says
I love the look of this – and orange blossom ale sounds amazing, though I am sure I have never seen it here.
Meeta says
All I can say Stop taunting me with this! My God!
Jessica says
YESSS. I love beer! I made my first stout cake (chocolate) last spring for a wedding cake, actually. Would love to try this recipe!
Lydia says
O.M.G…I am totally making this tonight! I have been craving gingerbread and happen to have a half of a 20-oz porter in my fridge beckoning to be baked into a cake. Thanks for the inspiration!
karen says
Please, please, please move next door to me. I will gladly help you with these leftovers.
Julia M says
You post the best pictures and recipes. You have such a great imagination – you would have totally rocked Top Chef Deserts!
Ron Merlin says
Ha ha, so I happened to post a Guinness Gingerbread Stout cake on my blog a couple of weeks ago. And then I see your post for gingerbread Stout Cake with Caramel Ale Sauce.
I will never play cards with you, especially any game involving trump cards.
Good on ya Peabody. It’s looks marvelous.
Barbara says
Yowee! All that gooey caramelly goodness oozing all over! It may not be St. Pat’s day, but I have GOT to make this.
The thing I was thinking about Top Chef Just Desserts is how they have to bake without recipes. That is much more difficult than inventing a main course because baking is such an exact science.
Mrs. L says
“One does not throw back a Cosmo or Mojito while watching hockey…it’s against nature” I agree, though it’s a shot of tequila that says “It’s Hockey Time” to me 🙂
Jo and Sue says
Apparently We are a year late with discovering this blog featuring an amazing looking cake and sauce…. that being said – I’m making this ASAP.
I actually drooled a little whilst looking at your delectable photos 🙂
Guy Labbé says
WOW. Do you allow me to re-try this recipe myself with some Quebec local beer, and post it to my blog ( http://www.candide.ca/blog ) in French with a nice link and credit to this page?
Peabody says
@Guy- if you link back to my site you can try the recipe you bet. That’s what it’s there for…to try!
All That's Left Are The Crumbs says
This is a winner on so many levels. Your photos make me want to grab a fork (or a shovel :)) and dig right in. I never used to be a beer person, but when I was pregnant with my fourth daughter I had such a craving. Of course I had to wait to indulge, but the craving never went away. Although I do enjoy a cocktail, even now I think there is nothing better than a nice cold beer, preferably on tap. I agree that hockey is so not a cocktail sport. It’s a totally different sport, but cricket is another sport that should not involve cocktails.
Guy Labbé says
Thanks for your permission, I will be try this recipe soon 🙂 I’ll comment back here
Guy Labbé says
Awesome recipe, just tried it today. I will publish a review of it at the end of the month (with a link to this page, of course, as discussed :)). Thank you!