Chocolate Yeti Cake with Coffee Ganache
Recipe: Chef Elizabeth Buckingham
Photo: Nick Nick Photography
Many chocolate cakes simply aren’t chocolaty enough. The dark richness of quality chocolate is often drowned out by overwhelming sweetness. A classic chocolate stout cake, however, will set the world right. The stout – in this case, Great Divide Brewing Co.’s iconic Yeti Imperial – offers just enough bitterness to offset what seems like an extreme quantity of sugar. The natural chocolate notes in Yeti make it an ideal partner for this cake, both to make it and to drink with it.
This recipe is loosely adapted from Great Barrington Brewery via Bon Appétit and Deb Perelman. It fits perfectly in a Bundt pan and the original icing is replaced with a simple coffee ganache.
Ingredients
For cake
1 cup Yeti Imperial Stout
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter plus additional melted butter for greasing pan
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
For ganache
6 oz. good-quality semisweet chocolate chips
6 tbsp. heavy cream
3/4 tsp. instant coffee granules
Directions
For cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a Bundt pan well. It is essential to get in all of the nooks and crannies so the cake releases easily. Dust the well-buttered pan with additional cocoa powder.
Bring stout and butter to a gentle simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, beat eggs and sour cream together using electric mixer. Add stout-cocoa mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine; add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter together until completely combined; do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool completely in pan. Turn cake out onto rack for drizzling with ganache.
For ganache
Combine chocolate, cream and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth, warm and melted, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Pair with
Yeti Imperial Stout
After a generous pour of the Yeti into your cake recipe, seal your fate by finishing off the Yeti stout. Roasted malts, caramel and toffee flavors will jolt you back to life from your chocolate coma.
Grilled Vegetable Salad
Recipe: Chef Elizabeth Buckingham
Photo: Nick Nick Photography
Outdoor grilling is the best way to enjoy summer meals, and simple tricks will help guarantee success.
• Have your ingredients prepped on a baking pan so you don’t spend your time rushing in and out of the house.
• Understand your grill and how to control your heat. Create at least two heat zones for maximum control. Know the difference between direct and indirect heat and how to use each to its best advantage.
• Grill grates should always be very clean and very well-oiled. Use tongs and an old kitchen towel to oil the grates.
• A cast-iron skillet is terrific for grilling small or delicate items that might otherwise fall through.
• Use heavy-duty aluminum foil to create durable packets for steaming vegetables or fish, or little boats for fragile items like bananas.
• High-sugar sauces and marinades will burn quickly, so apply these during the last few minutes of cooking or when you’ve taken an item off the heat to rest.
• If making kebabs or skewers, be careful to choose items of a similar size that will cook at a similar rate. Harder vegetables, like potatoes or beets, should be pre-cooked first.
Ingredients
Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lime and Cotija
4 ears corn, husked
1 large shallot, sliced into thin rings
½ small red chile, sliced into thin rings
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Vegetable or olive oil, as needed
1 large zucchini, thickly sliced
1 red pepper, cut into four large pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 oz. cotija, crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Chile powder, for garnish
Directions
Preheat grill. Slice kernels from one ear of corn and toss with shallot, chile and lime juice in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Brush remaining 3 ears of corn with oil and grill, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Toss zucchini slices and pepper pieces with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until softened and charred, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then cut into ½-inch pieces.
Slice kernels from grilled cobs and add to reserved corn salad with zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. Toss to combine, add cotija and taste again for seasoning. Sprinkle with chile powder and serve at room temperature.
Pair with
Renegade’s 5:00 Afternoon Ale
Light, crisp and sessionable, 5:00 will complement the zesty Southwest flavors while keeping you refreshed under the summer sun.