Friday Cheer! The Doppelrock and Plum Biercake

Maybe it is just me, but this week has felt excessively long. In Ohio, the weather switched from end-of-winter rain and grey skies to what constitutes a heat wave for March:  70-80 degrees, sunny, blue skies, and even humid!  To me, it's gorgeous. It's perfection. It begs me to go outside and play!  Or drink a margarita on the porch, but I can consider that part of my definition of playing. So it may not come as a surprise that I've been eagerly anticipating the weekend, when I can relax and enjoy the sunshine.  I strongly suspect my anticipation added to the slow crawl of this week... I'm equally sure that my eagerness for time in sunshine magically made today arrive overcast and rainy. Drats. Sorry, everyone in Ohio. My bad.

Looking out the window, though, I can't help but remain optimistic the sun will return shortly. The grass is brilliantly green and the trees are budding or displaying a full complement of delicate white flowers. And--this may just be me again--I think I can see a hint of warmth and light in the cracks between the grey storm clouds.

Great Lakes Brewing Company's The Doppelrock may be the perfect beer for today, when it's not yet summer but I know it's just hiding around the corner.  I even tried a recipe that fits that category too -- Plum Biercake (made with The Doppelrock).  It's a spice cake topped with plums that mentally call summer out of it's hiding place.

The beer:
Great Lakes Brewing Company is another incredible Ohio brewery, based out of Cleveland.  Fun fact:  they were the first microbrewery in the state of Ohio, opening in 1988.  They produce a variety of brews, from amber lager (Elliot Ness) to pale ale (Burning River) to white ale (Holy Moses) to their fiercely coveted seasonal Christmas ale (shockingly, it's called Christmas Ale).  I love the historical or clever names they assign to each brew!  Many of the historical names tie in to Ohio history, so that I like them even more.  I can't think of a single beer style from Great Lakes Brewing Co. that I haven't enjoyed, and many of their brews are among my favorites, such as Holy Moses white ale, Conway's Irish Ale, Christmas Ale, and Elliot Ness amber lager.  Even Eric's cat, the Fonz, enjoys Great Lakes Brewing Co.; she actually licks the lip of the Edmund Fitzgerald porter bottle!  She doesn't do that with any other beer, and, trust me, we've tested plenty of beers around her!

The Doppelrock is a seasonal offering from Great Lakes Brewing Co., whose name pays homage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located in Cleveland. It's a doppelbock beer, with a dark amber color with a creamy and highly flavorful mouth feel, with notes of burnt caramel, toffee, and dark fruits.  Doppelbocks--literally "double bocks" in German--are higher alcohol versions of German bock beers (bocks are strong German lagers).  The Great Lakes Brewing Co. Doppelrock has 8.7% alcohol by volume, so it's a stronger than your average brew but there is not a strong taste of alcohol from it.  Doppelbocks also have a full-bodied flavor and enough maltiness to be considered a meal in a glass (like stouts).  While I would say this version had a rich and complex flavor, I wouldn't consider it a meal replacement.  Then again, I like to eat, so there are very few beers that actually sit heavily enough in my stomach to make me feel full.

Rock and Roll and Dopplebock

The gorgeous deep amber color of The Doppelrock promises a rich flavor...and it did not disappoint. The toasty warm richness of the malted barley was the most prominent flavor, followed by a caramel/toffee flavor and a very slight coffee or chocolate taste.  Personally, I didn't notice any dark fruit notes, but I've never claimed to have the best palate.  In terms of drinkability, The Doppelrock was very smooth and balanced (neither too sweet nor too hoppy) with medium body, so it had some heft but wasn't heavy in the stomach. Overall, an excellent choice for this time of year when you're transitioning away from heavy winter beers and into lighter spring and summer ales.  It's got body and flavor and an awesome name. What more could you ask for?

My purchase of The Doppelrock was designed to hit two birds with one stone.  First, I would finally try this seasonal beer I'd fallen in love with last year.  Second, I could use it in a fantastic Plum Biercake recipe from  The Boozy Baker by Lucy Baker.  You know I'm a sucker for a well-written description and her words for the plum biercake evoked images of wintery gingerbread and summery roasted plums.   As it was baking, a spicy and malty smell emanated from my oven and made me even more eager to taste the biercake.  I waited barely 15 minutes before I sliced into the cake and topped it with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Ohhhh, perfection!  A tender and moist spice cake, sweet and soft plum slices, and melting cream.

Plum Biercake made with The Doppelrock

Plum Biercake
From The Boozy Baker (by Lucy Baker)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tbsp. molasses
1 cup doppelbock beer
4 small plums, washed and pitted and cut into wedges

Preparation:
1)  Preheat the oven to 350 degress Farenheit.  Butter a 9-inch round (or square) cake pan. Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

2)  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

3)  In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes.  Beat in the egg and molasses.

4)  Add a third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend until just combined.  Add half of the beer and, again, stir until just combined.  Repeat this process, so that you add in this order:  a third of the flour mixture, the rest of the beer, and the last third of the flour mixture.  After the last flour mixture addition, stir until the batter is smooth and just combined; do not overmix.

5)  Pour batter into the prepared pan.  Arrange the plum slices on the top of the cake.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  Store up to three days in an airtight container.*

Notes:
--You can substitute other malty beers here if you can't find a doppelbock.  Try a stout or porter.

--I love the darkest molasses I can find at the store.  To me, the darker the molasses, the better.  But any molasses should work here.

--I used a total of 6 plums on my cake (minus a few slices that were tested for taste purposes), and I had a hard time finding room for all of them. But I enjoyed having plenty of plum in each slice.  So feel free to add or subtract plus to meet your desires.  You could also try this recipe with other stone fruits, like peaches or nectarines.

*--I found this cake did not store well for me at room temperature, because the moist plums on top of the cake became mushy with time.  I was also worried the moisture and sugar in the plums would promote faster-than-usual mold growth.  Next time, I'll either serve this cake immediately or try keeping it in the refrigerator (probably in an airtight container).

--I recommend eating this cake when warm, whether from the oven or a brief stint in the microwave.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt would be a welcome addition too.

Roasting plums works the usual magic - a crunchy,
tart, underripe plum transforms into a tender, sweet slice of perfection

Plum Biercake with vanilla ice cream and plum slices

Happy Friday!

Friday Cheer! ~ Christian Morlein's Friend of an Irishman Stout

It's almost St. Patrick's Day.  That means I'm baking like a madwoman and accumulating Irish beers like, well, a madwoman. While my heritage is almost completely German, and we have our own holiday centered round drinking--Oktoberfest!--I love partaking in St. Pat's fun.  Not the going to an Irish pub and get smushed in the mass of rowdy, mostly annoying people part.  That's not fun.  I'd rather relax at the house with some friends, sharing several beers, lots of food, and maybe some Irish car bomb shots.  For me, the fun of St. Pat's rests in wearing green and producing Irish-inspired treats, like soda bread or stout cupcakes. Oh, and drinking some of those Irish beers I've acquired.

This year, I've discovered two new brews to try in addition to the classic Guinness stout.  One is from a Cincinnati based brewery, Christian Moerlein.  Their seasonal edition Friend of An Irishman Brewer's Stout is an Irish Dry Stout, meaning it falls into the same category as Guinness and Murphy's.  Irish Dry Stouts have a lighter body to be more drinkable, low carbonation, and a strong roasted malt flavor.  I'm a big fan of Christian Moerlein beers, not only because they are a local brewery but because I haven't tried a single beer from them that I have not liked. Seeing the Friend of An Irishman Stout in the store, I read the label:

You've made a discovery - a handcrafted stout dedicated to the friendship of mid-1800's Cincinnati immigrants from Ireland and Germany - Friend of an Irishman. The Irish and Germans overcame cultural differences, banded together, and forged a lasting alliance. Moerlein Friend of an Irishman Brewer's Stout has a mild coffee-like aroma and a brownish-black appearance. Oats enhance a complex yet smooth flavor with a subtle sweetness. Raise a pint to friendship! Slainte!

A bit overdone, but I couldn't resist the description. Coffee aroma, oats, smooth flavor, not too sweet....yes, please!

Deep, dark and infinitely drinkable

As you can see, the description is entirely accurate in that this beer is a deeply dark brown.  It has a surprisingly light mouth feel for such a dark beer, so that it drinks like an ale rather than a rich and heavy stout. Meaning you could have a few of these stouts without feeling like there is a stone in your stomach.  The flavor is certainly smooth and well-balanced (not sweet, not bitter), with a very minor coffee flavor. Personally, I'd enjoy this equally with a steak or with a chocolate dessert.  And I'd choose Christian Moerlein's Friend of An Irishman Brewer's Stout over Guinness any day.

I stumbled upon the second St. Pat's brew while in a liquor store with a wonderful beer selection. The design of the six pack case lured me in, along with the tongue-in-cheek name:  Arcadia Ales Loch Down Scotch Ale. I haven't tried it yet, but after this weekend, you can bet you'll receive a report.

 

Nessie, is that you?

To celebrate St. Pat's,  I also expect we'll take at least one Irish carbomb shot at some point.  Note: a shot glass heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the beer is essential for the success of this shot. I may or may not have learned that the hard way.  Irish whiskey may also make an appearance, at least in Eric's glass. My palate just isn't sophisticated enough (phew!).

The baking portion of my madwoman St. Pat's preparation/celebration consists of Irish soda bread and stout cupcakes with Irish cream frosting.  Every year, I follow a different recipe for soda bread.  The candidate this year was from Melissa Clark's Cook This Now, which is a fantastic book that I come to love more with each recipe I make. (I must guiltily admit upon first glance, I was afraid I didn't really want to make most of the dishes; the flavor combinations just didn't appeal to me.  Then I made the cardamom apple and fig crumble...and took a second look...and found a few recipes that appealed.  After testing the parsnip and leek soup with pumpernickel croutons, I now have at least 20 post-it notes flagging recipes of interest.  And that's only in the first half of the year!  So, needless to say, I'm a fan and am going to get her previous book, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, very soon.)  Melissa Clark's soda bread recipe uses whole wheat flour, raisins, and caraway seeds to provide a balanced sweet-and-savory flavor and a slightly more hearty taste.  It came together quickly and easily and smelled amazing as it cooked in the oven.  I exerted more than my usual self-control to wait 10 minutes for the bread to cool enough to eat without scorching my mouth.  And I ate some for breakfast.  

I most certainly did not have any self-control while I made the Guinness stout chocolate cupcakes.  I may have tested the batter more frequently than is acceptable. I may also have worn some of that batter on my shirt.  Somehow, chocolate cake batter just leaps out of the bowl and decorates my shirt. I have no idea how or why. It's a mystery (like Nessie!).  For such an incredibly delicious recipe, these cupcakes come together very quickly and easily.  I prefer them without frosting, but because I had the Bailey's Irish cream out for a carbomb shot later that night, I whipped up some buttercream frosting with Bailey's in it.  

Irresistible chocolate-stout batter. Note it's escape attempt on the right...

Fresh out of the oven, sans icing

With Bailey's Irish cream frosting

Have a wonderful Friday full of cheer!  And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Friday Cheer ~ Pamplemousse!

It's been one of those weeks. You know what I'm talking about. Exhausting on all fronts (mentally, emotionally, physically).  You're dragging both at work and at home. Things seem too routine, but you don't have the energy to change it up. You plug away at your to-do list only because you know things will be Alice in Wonderland crazy if you don't cross at least some of those things off.

But it's Friday. The week is over, and there are two days to bust out of this funk.  I'm desperately hoping there is sunshine.  And this drink.  Meet The Pamplemousse.

Oh, hello, my friend. You're looking exceptionally lovely today.

Pamplemousse is the French word for grapefruit and is insanely fun to say. Try it: PAHHHHM-puhl-lay-moossssssse!  I've been known to say it for the heck of it. Pamplemousse!

This drink is a cinch to prepare, so it will be ready to ease you into the weekend the minute you're ready.

Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, 

Trader Joe's Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, 

Aperol Apertif

The Pamplemousse
From Orangette, via The Walrus and the Carpenter restaurant

Ingredients:
2 oz. grapefruit juice
2 oz. dry white wine
0.5 oz Aperol liquor

Preparation:
Combine all three ingredients in a glass. Stir gently to mix. Enjoy!

Notes:
--Aperol is an Italian apertif with a brilliant pinkish-orange hue and a bitter taste.  It's become more popular is liquor stores as of late, but if you cannot find it, try another Italian apertif, Campari.  Be warned, though--Campari has twice the alcohol content of Aperol and is a darker color, so your resulting drink may be less electric salmon.

--I found my first glass to have a bit too much grapefruit juice; I just couldn't taste the wine or the Aperol.  So for my second (and my third. Don't judge.) glasses, I reduced the grapefruit juice to 1-1.5 oz. and added just a wee bit more Aperol.  Play around to find what tastes best to you. It's your cheer, after all.


Here's to a wonderful weekend!