Baking with Beer!

Side Quest Cake

These cupcakes were originally created for QC Brewers Festival for a piece they published about cooking with craft beer. Nikki Gonzalez, wife of DG - our Director of Brewing, knows a thing or two about baking and beer, so she was the perfect chef to take on this task. She went a step further and developed both the cake and icing with dairy-free ingredients to make this Side Quest Cake enjoyable for everyone at the party.

Ingredients for the cake:
• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup oil*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup Lost Worlds Trek Porter, warmed**
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease thoroughly.
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly with a slotted wooden spoon or whisk. Add the oil, vanilla, Lost Worlds Trek Porter, and vinegar. Stir just until no lumps remain.
Fill the muffin cups ⅔ full with batter and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

* I like coconut oil, as it complements the other flavors in the cake, but any neutral oil will work.
** The warm beer dissolves cocoa powder much more easily, resulting in less risk of over mixing.

For the Icing:
• 1 cup shortening or unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 3-4 Tablespoons Lost Worlds Euchre Golden Ale, room temperature

Directions:
With a handheld or stand mixer, beat shortening or butter with salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, confectioner’s sugar, and 3 Tablespoons of the Lost Worlds Euchre Golden Ale; beat on low for 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for a full 2 minutes. You can add more confectioner’s sugar, one tablespoon at a time, if icing is too thin; or more beer, one teaspoon at a time, if icing is too stiff.

Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

**Both of these recipes were made using dairy-free ingredients