Cake of the Day: Black Chocolate Stout Cake by Ovenly Bakery
Photo: Winona Barton-Ballentine
Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin, owners of the much-loved Brooklyn, New York bakery, Ovenly, bring us today’s cake. Known for their fondness for sweet and salty flavor combinations, Kulaga and Patinkin create sweet treats such as Caramel Bacon Hot Tarts and Ooey Gooey Honey Blondies with pecans. This St. Patrick’s Day-friendly stout cake is no exception.
Black Chocolate Stout Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream
Yield: 1 two-layer 9-inch cake
This recipe is adapted from one in Bon Appétit and was one of the first Erin and I ever made together. It has become the go-to base of many of our chocolate cakes. We use Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout, which provides a subtly bitter, malted caramel flavor, but we encourage you to experiment with other stouts, as well.
Softened unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, for preparing the baking pan
1 1/2 cups Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout, or other stout of choice
1 1⁄2 cups (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 1⁄2 cups dark Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
23⁄4 cups sugar
3⁄4 tablespoon baking soda
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
1 cup sour cream (preferably full-fat)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream (see below)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with butter and dust with flour. Line with parchment rounds and grease the rounds.
2. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the stout and unsalted butter to a simmer. (You can also melt the butter in your oven or in a large, microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven and then whisk in the beer.) Remove the stout-butter mixture from the heat, add the Dutch-process cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
3. While the stout-butter mixture cools, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs.
5. Add the stout-butter mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Then add the flour mixture, and combine with a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth, with no lumps. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry flour bits.
6. Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool.
7. Frost the cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream (see below).
Cake Frosting Process:
1. Using a serrated knife, level the cake layer by removing the crown. Repeat for each layer.
2. Place a large dollop of buttercream onto the cardboard round and spread it carefully. Press the bottom cake layer directly on the cardboard round, and place it on a revolving cake stand.
3. Using an offset spatula spread the buttercream filling over the bottom layer, pushing the buttercream toward the edges of the cake. The buttercream should be about 1/2-inch thick.
4. Stack the next cake layer directly on top of the filling and gently press down to set it in place.
5. Spread the buttercream across the top layer of the cake, toward the edges of the cake.
6. Top the cake fully with frosting, spreading it into a thin and even layer. Do not worry if crumbs are in the frosting-this is called a crumb coat.
7. Place the cake in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
8. Remove it in to finish frosting. Spread a generous layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Even out the sides by holding the spatula upright, that is, at a 90 degree angle to the revolving cake stand. Slowly spin the revolving cake stand without lifting the spatula from the surface of the buttercream. As you turn the cake, add more buttercream and repeat the smoothing process.
9. Smooth the top of the cake with the edge of your spatula. (To make this step easier, dip your spatula in a glass of hot water and glide it across the surface of the buttercream.)
10. To create ridged sides, starting at the bottom of the cake, press the tip of your offset spatula gently into the buttercream. Hold it steady as you turn the cake and make ridges.
11. Hold a buttercream-filled pastry bag with a size 5 round tip at a 45 degree angle slightly above the surface of the cake. Pipe buttercream pearls around the border of the cake.
Buttercream Frosting Base Recipe
Yield: enough for 20 cupcakes and one, two-layer 9-inch cake
16 tablespoons (1 cup, 8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
7 cups confectioners’ sugar + more for thickening
¼ to ½ cup heavy cream
1. Cut the cold butter into ½-inch pieces. Let it come to room temperature.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, 3 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and ¼ cup heavy cream, and mix on low until just incorporated. Then beat on medium-high until the mixture is creamy and ingredients are incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix on low until the frosting is thick but spreadable. Beat for 1 minute after each addition. You may not need to add all the remaining sugar. Once you have your desired consistency, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Raise the speed to medium-high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. The buttercream should be thick but spreadable. If it is too thick, add a little more cream. If it is too thin, add a little more confectioners’ sugar.
Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream
Yield: enough for 20 cupcakes and one, two-layer 9-inch cake
Buttercream Frosting Base Recipe
1/2 cup Salted Caramel Sauce (below)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1. Prepare the Buttercream Frosting Base Recipe, reducing the cream to 2 tablespoons to start and replacing the remaining cream with 1/2 cup Salted Caramel Sauce.
2. Once the Salted Caramel Sauce is fully incorporated into the buttercream the buttercream is light and fluffy, add the cream cheese to the mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute.
3. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any remaining cream cheese. If the buttercream appears too thick, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it appears to thin, add more confectioner’s sugar, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Yield: approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 (packed) light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
Caviar from 1/2 vanilla bean pod
1. Bring 1/2 cup of the cream, sugars, butter, corn syrup and salt to a boil in an uncovered 1 1/2- to 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the sugars have dissolved, whisk the mixture a few times to combine. Continue to boil the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until deep dark tan bubbles form and until it has thickened and is paste-like.
2. When a candy thermometer reads 250 degrees F (this takes about 5 minutes after the mixture reaches a boil), take the saucepan off the heat. (See note below if not using a thermometer.)
3. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup cream and add the vanilla bean caviar, and whisk to incorporate. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble up and can splatter. Return the saucepan to low heat, and bring it to a low boil, whisking vigorously until no visible clumps remain and until the caramel sauce is smooth, about 45 seconds.
4. Immediately pour the hot caramel sauce into a jar or a heatproof bowl, and let it cool completely. Once it has cooled, cover it tightly and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Reheat to use.
Reprinted with permission from: Ovenly by Agatha Kulaga & Erin Patinkin
More sweet treats:
Ovenly’s Ooey Gooey Blondie Recipe
