Chocolate Raisin Ale Cake
Squares of rich, dense, chewy, moist cake with lots of flavour are hard to beat. This chocolate raisin ale cake recipe is one such and it’s a winner. It’s an easy-to-make one pan cake with no need for creaming. Simply, melt and mix.
This wonderful recipe came via Zeb Bakes who in turn spotted it on Dan Lepard’s site. Not only did Joanne sell this to me as a “chocolate porridge” recipe, she also made it clear that it was a one pan cake. How could I resist?
What’s The Difference Between Ale And Beer?
Beer is an all encompassing term that refers to both ale and lager. So ale is a type of beer.
Ale itself is a fairly wide category. It includes anything with ale in the name, but also porter, stout and wheat beer.
The major difference between ale and lager is down to the yeast used and the fermenting process. Ale is brewed at a higher temperature than lager. It’s made with top fermentation yeast which generally results in a higher alcohol content with complex flavours.
Lager, on the other hand is brewed at a cooler temperature for longer. It’s made with bottom fermentation yeast and is a lighter more straightforward type of beer which is also lower in alcohol.
Chocolate Raisin Ale Cake
Dan’s recipe calls for stout. But as I didn’t have any of that in the house, I substituted a bottle of real ale that was knocking about the place. Apart from that, using muscovado sugar and wholemeal spelt flour in the cake, I didn’t really make any changes to the bake.
However, I reckoned the icing was a bit too sweet for us, so I followed Joanne’s suggestion and made a crème fraîche ganache topping instead. I make my own crème fraîche, so often have some in the fridge surplus to requirements.
Preparing the cake is a bit like making brownies. You start off warming ingredients in a pan and then mix in the other ingredients one by one until you have a nice thick batter. Then it’s just a cake of pouring it into a square tin and baking.
CT voted this chocolate raisin ale cake his favourite. Or at least the best I’d baked in a long time. It’s rich, dense, chewy, moist and delicious. Need I go on?
Well, actually yes, one other thing. It isn’t too sweet, which is how we both like our cakes (mostly!).
I was pleased with the ganache which tasted very nice. More to the point, I reckon it worked better than the original fudgy icing would have done.
The cake lasts well. It was just as delicious, if not more so, one week on. As I’m sure the ale gives a different result to the stout, I have the perfect excuse to make it again. Thank you Joanna.
Other Recipes Made With Beer You Might Like
- Beer battered tofish
- Black velvet cheesecake brownies with stout caramel sauce
- Chocolate ale fruit cake
- Chocolate Guinness cake
- Mini mushroom pies
- Triple chocolate ale brownies
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chocolate raisin ale cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for baking with beer?
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Choclette x
Chocolate Raisin Ale Cake: The Recipe
Chocolate Raisin Ale Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 330 ml ale (I used Badger Original ale)
- 50 g rolled oats (porridge oats)
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark chocolate roughly chopped (I used 70%)
- 225 g dark muscovado sugar
- 1 large egg (I used a duck egg)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g raisins
- 250 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Ganache
- 100 g dark chocolate (I used 70%)
- 100 ml crème fraîche
Instructions
Cake
- Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Pour the ale into a large saucepan and add the oats and cocoa powder.330 ml ale, 50 g rolled oats (porridge oats), 25 g cocoa powder
- Give it a good stir, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and chocolate. Leave a minute or two for the chocolate and butter to melt.75 g unsalted butter, 100 g dark chocolate
- Add the sugar and stir well.225 g dark muscovado sugar
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.1 large egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Mix in the raisins.150 g raisins
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder and stir until it's well mixed in. Throw in any bran left in the sieve,250 g wholemeal spelt flour, 1 tsp baking powder
- Scrape the mixture into a 23cm (9″) lined cake tin or lightly greased silicone mould. Place on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool.
Ganache
- Whilst the cake is cooling, melt the chocolate in a pan with the crème fraîche over a gentle heat. Stir gently from the inside out until it’s just mixed. Over mixing often causes the ganache to split, so go carefully.100 g dark chocolate, 100 ml crème fraîche
- Spread the ganache on top of the cooled cake, then cut into 16 squares. Be careful not to ruin your baking tin or mould.
Another attempt, because I found a bottle of Guinness that needed finishing. With 1/2 a tsp. of baking powder it is just right for me, although I used a rectangular 18×28 cm baking form which may also have had an effect on the structure. The cake has just the right thickness. Next try will be without the oats, replacing them with chopped or ground dry roasted hazelnuts. The oats in this cake somehow become a bit chewy. The taste is wonderful; more people should bake this cake and eat it !
Haha, you just happened to find a bottle of Guinness Henk? I like the idea of the hazelnuts. I really must make this cake again and see what all the fuss is about 😉
Many people will probably find the cake without baking powder too dense; it’s just a personal thing I guess. I will let you know when I have tried but it may take a long, long time because I have finished the ginger beer. Because our house is going on the market very soon I have decided to concentrate on finishing as much of the ingredients I still have in store and avoid buying new ones that I don’t really need.
Sounds like a good plan. I keep telling myself to have a good tidy up and use up all the odd bits and pieces I have cluttering up the kitchen (and rest of house), but I’m not very good at actually doing it.
I prefer without baking powder. With 1 tsp. baking powder the texture is somewhat loose. A compromise would be to add just half a tsp., which in fact is not a bad idea at all.
This cake combines very well with whipped cream. As I had some leftover ganache to finish, the layer was quite thick, which I didn’t mind 😀
Well, I look forward to finding out how your next version fairs with 1/2 tsp baking powder. Then I might make it 😉
Yesterday evening, I made the ginger version again. I left out the baking powder, used 3 chicken eggs and substituted the buckwheat for chickpea flour (because it needed finishing first and it gives a more ‘yellow feeling’ than buckwheat. Without the baking powder the cakes is very dense of course, but very pleasant to eat. I love the combination of ginger and chocolate and in this cake tastewise it really has the 1+1=3 effect. Thanks again, this cake will probably become one of my ‘core repertoire’.
I’m with you on dense textured cakes, especially when they have ginger in them. Which do you prefer, with baking powder or without? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I expect, I really must make this again.
It is very helpful to have a source of inspiration though 🙂
In the meanwhile I have baked the ginger-beer-version as planned. Preparation exactly as in your recipe. I’ll just name ingredients and quantities: 330 ml gingerbeer, 50 g. rolled oats, 25 g. cocoa (in Dutch we say/write: cacao …), 100 g. butter, 100 g. dark chocolate (52 %), 200 g. brown sugar, 1 goose-egg, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 200 g. raisins (soaked in tepid water for 5-10 minutes), 100 g. crystallized ginger, 200 g. wholemeals spelt, 50 g. buckwheat, 1 tsp. baking powder.
On both versions I used my own recipe for ganache which never fails and is easy to make, but is a lot sweeter and fatter.
Again it resulted in a delicious cake.
Next time I might use fresh ginger (different taste) and leave out the baking powder (I like dense, moist cakes).
2nd try with some alterations: goose egg instead of duck egg, 1 tsp. cinnamon instead of vanilla, dark beer instead of ale, 225 gr raisins, 100 gr butter, substituted 50 grams of the spelt for 50 grams of buckwheat. The result is delicious ! It is probably going to be part of my standard repertoire. And so quick and easy to make as well. Thanks very much.
Haha Henk, it looks as though you have made a different cake all together. It sounds good and I will try your version when the opportunity arises. Thank you very much for getting back to me, it’s really good to get feedback and I appreciate it.
I tried this recipe out last night and it worked really well. Everyone in my office is enjoying them today…yummy! 🙂
And a great post it is too – I want to make it all over again now.
I’ve now posted about the cake too – how could I not?!
Suzi – So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know. I went straight over to your blog to have a look and got a post about beef steak!!!
True to my word, I’ve made a batch this afternoon. Wow.
Although I think I’ve now eaten FAR too much of it…
Esme – but moist and very tasty too.
These look unbelievable-I can only imagine how chewy they are.
Celia – oh it’s well worth making – look forward to hearing how you found it.
CityHippy – this is getting really exciting with so many potentially making this – hope you do give it a go.
Chele – oh good, another who will hopefully try it out
Jacqueline – hope you had a good day in Edinburgh and it would be great to see this on your blog at some point???
Aforkful – it is hard to be disciplined indeed. The ganache was using full fat creme fraiche!
C – hope you give this a go, it’s always interesting to hear what others think about something you’ve made.
Astra Libris – cooking with beer is all fairly new to me. I’ve made Guinness cake and this, both of which I’ve been really pleased with – what else have you made?
Ananda – thank you
Joanna – I’ve always followed these instructions for ganache, it’s just when it comes to the stirring, it always seems to split – maybe it’s just me????
Thank you Queen Bee
Oxslip – thank you for making me feel I’m not in a minority of one on the ganache front
Springtime – it’s sure worth a try
Janice, it’s different from Guiness cake, but very good
I like the sound of these. Nigella’s guiness choc cake is a favourite in our house, so these would probably be popular too.
These look good. I have some ale in the fridge that needs using up. I may well have to try this recipe – soon.
Oh my, cakes and ale, what a great combination and I love the sound of this damp, sticky, not too sweet one. Ganache is a *** (bad word of your choice there). I find it purely impossible, looks gorgeous though.
amazing.
simply…amazing…………..
Lovely cake ! Clever man that Dan Lepard !
For a double cream ganache you use equal weights of dark choc and double cream. Chop chocolate into small rubble. Heat cream to boiling point and pour over chocolate. Leave for 5 mins. and then beat until combined and glossy. Will be runny at this stage and will set in a couple of hours. I think for creme fraiche you melt the chocolate first, leave till barely warm and then beat the creme fraiche in. Again it starts off quite runny and then sets off eventually. It’s a while since I made it.
wow this is indeed a healthy fudge cake..Thanks for sharing…am craving to eat some chocolate…:)
Oh my, this looks glorious!! I love baking with ales and stouts, and I can just imagine how wonderfully the ale pairs with the nutty oats…
I’ve seen this recipe so many times now I really, really must make it and see how it turns out. Your’s looks delicious. I find Dan Lepard’s recipes really interesting – there’s always a twist!
I’m not sure I trust myself to make that and not eat it all right then and there… 😉 Have you cracked the ganache problem yet? Lower-fat creams will split much more easily than high-fat versions – try using single, whipped, or double cream instead?
Mmmmmm, looks and sounds great and as usual, I am caught by one of your recipes and pondering should I go make it now. But I mustn’t as we are heading off to Edinburgh for the day. It will have to wait 🙂
I’ve noticed a lot of recipes using beer (ale/stout etc!) in them lately. I will need to give this a try … if Hubby can share! Looks great though, very moist and yummy.
I still haven’t made this either, but now two of you, I really think I need go find some ale. Very tasty looking!
I’m with Suelle, now both you and Jo have made this, AND made it look so wickedly good, I’m going to have to try it too! I’m sure I have a can of Guinness somewhere…
Sushma – thank you
Suelle – I’d certainly be interested to see what you think.
These look delicious, Choclette. I’m determined to try this recipe now, after so many glowing endorsements.
Beautiful cake..perfect ones..
Kath – Not much like a ginger cake, but I did get your drift. You made me smile which cheered me up in this cold wet grey and miserable day that we are having (down this end of the country anyway) so a big thank you.
MaryMoh – thank you, it was indeed delicious.
Mmm…that looks very healthy and delicious. I can eat this any time. Thanks for sharing.
That does sound really good and an interesting way of making a cake by boiling the ale and porridge oats, a bit like a ginger cake without the ginger. Actually nothing like it, but you know what I mean. Will have to try this one.
Liz – get baking, rolls sound scrumilicious and thanks for letting me off on the brownie front.
This sounds gorgeous, and a welcome alternative to brownies which are so often disappointing (except mine and yours of course) I’ve been sitting on a Dan Leppard recipe for a chocolate poppy seed roll for ages – time to dig it out I think.
Liz (aka feastandfestivals.co.uk)