My husband is a beer connoisseur. He has sampled beer in all seven continents and has his favorites. However, he was thrilled to discover Brother David’s Double Abbey-style Ale from Anderson Valley Brewing Company very near our home in Northern California. This is an exceptional ale, and I really enjoy it, too. It is a very dark amber color and has a lush richness and full body. It has flavors of fruit, spice and chocolate. It reminds us of Autumn and winter holidays. A beer like this is almost a meal! I had a glass at lunch today and decided that it would be great in a chocolate cake. So I made one. The cake turned out to be rich, dense, moist and full of flavor. In the spirit of Oktoberfest, I would like to share this cake with you. I am calling it Double Chocolate Abbey-style Ale Cake.
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, plus 1 T. more for the pan
3/4 cup Brother David’s Double Abbey-style Ale
3/4 cup packed Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
3.5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (Note: you can use bittersweet, but you can taste the ale better with semi-sweet.)
1 1/4 cup plain (all-purpose) flour, plus 1 T. more for the pan
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
For the icing:
3.5 oz. Valrhona semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 oz. Valrhona bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 T. (1 oz.) butter
You will also need:
Bundt pan
Small mixing bowl
Chef’s knife
Small saucepan
Medium mixing bowl
Large spoon
Mixer
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bundt pan with a tablespoon of butter. Add a tablespoon of flour to the pan. Shake it to coat the pan and then discard the loose flour. Put the pan into the freezer to chill until you are ready to add the batter.
Place the chopped dates into a small mixing bowl and pour the ale over the dates. Set aside.
Chop the 3.5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate. Melt the chocolate and the stick of butter together over low heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
Using the mixer, beat the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla together until thick. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the prune and ale mixture and mix all ingredients by hand until well combined. Spoon the batter into the chilled bundt pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch. (In my oven, it took about 38 minutes.)
Remove the cake from the oven and loosen the sides and the middle with a knife. Invert the bundt pan over a cake plate and let the cake fall out of the pan. Let cool.
Meanwhile, make the icing by combining the remaining chopped 3.5oz. semi-sweet chocolate and the bittersweet chocolate with the remaining 2 T. butter. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly. Pour over the cooled ale cake.
Serve immediately with a nice cold glass of Brother David’s Double Abbey-style Ale.
