Beer cake: a surprising dessert

Beer cake is a dessert that will surprise every beer lover. Whether for birthdays or celebrations, this cake will be the star of the show.

Álvaro Berdú - Beer Sommelier
Chef and Beer Sommelier of Sabeer Beer Academy

They say that pastry or sweet cooking is the most challenging branch of gastronomy. Like anything, it depends on practice, but there is some truth to this. This is mainly because precise control is required with cooking times, ingredient quantities, and the order in which ingredients are added. The same applies to brewing beer, where a recipe details ingredient quantities, times, and temperatures. Precision is key to achieving the best results.

What if we use a beer to make a dessert?

We’d likely end up with a delicious and surprising result. But which beers would be most suitable for a sweet recipe? Beers with more maltiness and those where hops are not the main focus are most appropriate, as their characteristics enhance the common flavours and textures found in baking.

Dark beers of different styles such as Guinness or Mahou Maestra Dunkel offer us flavours and aromas with notes of coffee, cocoa, liquorice, dried fruit or even smoky hints. These types of beers would be perfect for making desserts where dark chocolate or cocoa are key ingredients, such as a rich Sacher cake or a surprisingly light and airy chocolate mousse.

Wheat beers such as Franziskaner Weissbier or Paulaner Weissbier bring us spicy and fruity touches, where clove and ripe banana are characteristic. They are ideal for desserts like a fluffy carrot cake or a delicate Sabayon.

Recently, we’ve seen a range of beers aged in wooden barrels on the market, adding interesting flavours and aromas to baking. For example, Mahou Barrica Original offers hints of coconut and vanilla, perfect for making custard to fill crispy profiteroles.

To put this into practice, we’ve included a recipe for a molten chocolate cake where the beer blends seamlessly with the other ingredients, resulting in an unexpectedly delightful sweet.

> Ingredients for 4 people:

4 egg yolks
120 ml of stout (Guinness or Mahou Maestra Dunkel)
75 grams of butter
75 grams of flour
75 grams of sugar
55 grams of dark chocolate
55 grams of nut praline (peanut butter)

> Method:

Place the butter and the dark chocolate in a bowl and melt the ingredients in the microwave Use medium power for short intervals, stirring frequently until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, egg yolks, and beer. Use a hand mixer to blend until the mixture is free of lumps. Add the butter and chocolate to this mixture at a lukewarm temperature.

Once the mixture is smooth and lump-free, fold in the nut praline (peanut butter) at room temperature, mixing thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into individual flan moulds that have been greased and floured, or lined with parchment paper. Fill each mould to ¾ full and leave to cool for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F). Bake the cakes for 7 minutes.

After baking, carefully use a small knife to loosen the edges of the cakes from the moulds. Gently transfer them to a plate, being cautious as the centres should be molten. Serve with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream if desired.