Recipe
Tuck into a slice of chocolate ginger beer cake
Moist, spicy and irresistibly moreish, it’s proof that gingerbread and chocolate are a match made in dessert heaven.
By Helen Goh
I have always been intrigued by the fact that small children, my own included, who seem so sensitive to spice in anything else (like a healthy stir fry!), love gingerbread cookies, which have such a robust flavour profile and warm spiciness.
When the boys were going for a mega birthday sleepover, I had the idea of translating Nigella Lawson’s chocolate Guinness cake into a ginger version, replacing the Guinness with ginger beer.
It was a very successful experiment – the cake retains all the damp luxury of the original, with a backbite of ginger that engages intriguingly with the chocolate. The children loved it (and so did the adults)!
Makes 16 squares
Ingredients to make chocolate ginger beer cake recipe
Cake
250 ml ginger beer (see Preparation tip)
250 g unsalted butter, sliced into about 6 pieces
60 g unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably
Dutch-processed; see Preparation tip)
250 g caster sugar
130 g sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
270 g plain flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
Icing
250 g cream cheese, at room temperature
100 g icing sugar, sifted
100 ml thickened (double) cream
50 ml ginger beer
flaked chocolate, to garnish
How to to make chocolate ginger beer cake recipe
Grease and line a 20 cm square or round cake tin with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan-forced.
For the cake, combine the ginger beer and butter in a large, wide saucepan (large enough for the whole cake to be mixed in, about 3 litre capacity) and place over medium heat. Stir gently until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and sift in the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk to combine, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a jug, then pour into the ginger beer mix and whisk gently to combine. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into the batter and whisk gently until smooth and combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the icing, place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium–low speed until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, add the icing sugar and beat for about 30 seconds, until incorporated, then add the cream and ginger beer. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1–2 minutes, until thick and smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
When ready to serve, use a spatula to spread the icing thickly over the cake. Scatter flaked chocolate over the top, then serve.
The kind of ginger beer you use will make a difference. Try a few and see which you like best. Once baked, the flavour of the ginger dissipates somewhat, so err on the side of a ginger beer with a strong presence. I like Fever-Tree.
Buy the best cocoa powder you can. I like Droste, Dr Oetker or Callebaut.
The un-iced cake will keep for about 2 days, but once iced, it’s best to eat on the same day.
Citro food tip
Use a strong, fiery ginger beer for the best flavour to mellow the cake as it bakes, leaving just the right amount of warmth in every bite.
Citro may receive a small commission at no cost to you on any orders placed using the book link in this article.
Images and text from Baking and the Meaning of Life by Helen Goh, photography by Laura Edwards. Murdoch Books RRP $55.00.
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