Gingerbread Beer Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
And don't forget the bird's-eye!
Isn't it beautiful? The end product will be even better -- just watch.
This bad boy gets buttered and floured. Do that. We'll wait.
Get out your mixing bowls, people. First: oil.
Then brown sugar, sorghum.
Aside from the beer, the salt may be our favorite part.
You get bonus points for cracking your eggs with one hand.
Follow that whisk!
Does it look kind of like a black and white cookie, or is it just us?
Dry, meet wet. Wet, meet dry.
Buttermilk joins in on the fun.
Perfect your folding technique, if you haven't already.
Beer!
Set aside 2 cups of this delicious batter, and pour the rest into your pan.
Chocolate, prepare to be melted.
We won't tell if you steal a taste.
If your batter looks like this, you're a marbling pro.
Pat yourself on the back, and then go make the glaze.
Just a melt and a stir...
...and you're done! Admire, then enjoy.
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Author Notes: Beer in a gingerbread cake??? Absolutely! Dark brews give a depth to the spicy flavor of the cake. And as always, a little chocolate makes it better; this quick and easy one bowl cake batter has a ribbon of chocolate swirled through it and dark chocolate glaze drizzled over the top. Some may find the use of sorghum unusual but here in the south, we use it in everything. It has a milder flavor than molasses and tends to add less color and is worth the time spent finding it. What beer you bake with is up to you but I suggest one that is dark; an ale or porter will work out nicely.
This recipe is adapted from the gingerbread beer cake featured in my first book Sky High, Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes. For valentine's day, i needed a cake for a class I was attending and decided to turn a triple layer cake into a bundt cake. The recipe has been reworked and adjusted for a bundt pan and to yield a decadent dessert that is quick and easy to make and does not require any cake decorating skills! - janeofmanytrade
Food52 Review: WHO: janeofmanytrade is a devoted gardener, beekeeper, and cook.
WHAT: A deeply spiced chocolate cake with a secret ingredient.
HOW: Make a glaze while a marbled batter bakes in the oven, and try to wait until it cools to eat.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The unusual ingredients in this cake (mustard, sorghum, beer -- we're looking at you), combine to make one of the most complex, nuanced chocolate cakes we know. - A&M
Serves 12-16
- 2/3 cups canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sorghum
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, natural preferred
- 4 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (such as coleman's)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cups dark beer (I used yazoo-dos perros ale)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
- 1 teaspoon canola oil (to melt with the chocolate)
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 6 tablespoons half and half
- Grease and flour a large bundt or tube pan-10 to 12 cup capacity. Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, sorghum, eggs and salt.
- Place a large mesh strainer over a bowl and place the flour, cocoa, spices, baking powder and baking soda in it. Sift about half of the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and then return the remaining dry ingredients in the strainer to the other bowl while you fold the batter a few times. Add the buttermilk and fold until smooth. Sift the remaining dry ingredients over the batter and dump any that have collected in the bowl into the batter as well. Fold a few times, add the beer, and fold until completely mixed. Remove 2 cups of batter for the ribbon and pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate with the 1 teaspoon of oil on the lowest setting. Stir until smooth and then stir into the reserved cake batter. Pour this chocolate batter over the top of the batter in the pan and using a spoon, gently stir it in to create a marbled effect in the batter.
- Bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes and then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.
- To glaze, melt the bittersweet chocolate with the half-and-half in the microwave on the lowest setting. Stir until smooth and glossy. Place the cooled cake on a serving platter. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cake. Allow the glaze to set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes but serve it at room temperature for the best flavor.
- Your Best Recipe with Beer Contest Winner!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Chocolate & Spice
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2 months ago ehuckaby
I was able to find sorghum at a brewing supply store (apparently, it is used to make gluten-free beer). The cake was so lovely; interesting but not heavy or overly rich. Congrats!
4 months ago PRST
I just made this cake and it fell- smells delicious though. My batter was on the runny side so I am wondering about the amount of flour I used. I fluffed up the flour in my canister and then spooned it into the measuring cup. Wished the recipe had weights, especially for the flour. Also, I assumed the brown sugar was 2 cups, PACKED.
4 months ago essabagel
I rarely bake but couldn't resist the siren song of this cake, and I'm so glad I gave in to the temptation. It turned out beautifully, one of my all-time favorites. I thought I'd find sorghum at my local Whole Foods; when they turned out not to have it, I grabbed a jar of barley malt syrup instead, and that seemed to work well as a substitute. I can't wait to make it again!
5 months ago moxyroxy
I just made this beautiful cake (: I used molasses instead of sorghum, and baked it in a 9x13 pyrex for 30 minutes. The texture is delicate and it is aggressively spiced (which I like). Do sift the dry ingredients!! I don't have a sieve, and some clumped up dry mustard snuck its way past my spatula into the finished cake. I'll think of it as an element of surprise...
5 months ago DulaNotes
This is such a beautiful cake. I'll have to make it for the next special occasion. Congratulations on your win!
5 months ago BlueKaleRoad
Stunning cake! I love all the flavors you included. Congratulations!
5 months ago BoulderGalinTokyo
Congrats on a boosy cake, with mustard even! I must try this.
5 months ago TheWimpyVegetarian
This looks wonderful! Many congrats on your win!!
5 months ago Lizthechef
I cannot wait to try this - congrats!
5 months ago cookbookchick
After making Teddie's Apple Cake THREE times in a row, THIS is my next cake! Congratulations, janeofmanytrade!
5 months ago Bevi
Congrats! This looks simply delicious and I think I will try it for our annual neighborhood full moon snowshoe party!
5 months ago inpatskitchen
Warmest congratulations! Beautiful cake!
5 months ago Gibson2011
I haven't invested in a good bundt pan yet. Any suggestions for alternative baking pans for this recipe?
5 months ago Ted Drake 1
It's hard to go wrong with the basic nordic ware bundt pan. It'll last for years, it's easy to use, and reasonably priced. http://www.amazon.com/gp...
5 months ago kyliefmcd
Looks AMAZING! If I can't find sorghum, can I use molasses instead? (I have a jar sitting in my cupboard.) Thanks and congrats!
5 months ago janeofmanytrade
you can use molasses but it is much stronger in flavor than sorghum would be. if you can find sorghum, it is worth purchasing. in the south, we can find it in farmers markets and grocery stores and i recently noticed that the whole foods supermarkets also carry it here.
5 months ago Allison Longenbaugh
I used it when i made it yesterday and it was amazing. My bundt pan was terrible (so i could barely get the cake out), but the flavors were so good that we just ate it with ice cream & didn't care that it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. I highly recommend it and will order sorghum on-line so i can try the recipe with that next time.
5 months ago Stephen Wagner
Sorghum is a syrup made from sorghum plants that look a lot like corn stalks which they're often mistaken for in the South. It's grown for the sugar content and I'm guessing it's pressed for the juice. In China the reeds are woven into baskets and trays. When I worked for the Pottery Barn we had huge shipments of baskets arriving from China and a sizable portion was made up of sorghum trays and baskets.
5 months ago schiugriffin
yummmmmm
5 months ago Allison Longenbaugh
Where do you find sorghum? Is it a flour or a syrup?
5 months ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
What a beautiful cake, Love the marbling and chocolate glaze. Brilliant! Congrats on being a finalist.
5 months ago EmilyC
I've made gingerbread with beer before, but with a chocolate glaze on top? Um, yes please! Can't wait to try this! Congrats on being a finalist.
5 months ago Midge
This is one awesome-looking cake. Congrats!