Chocolate Stout Devil’s Food with Rosemary Buttercream

Chocolate Stout Devil’s Food, Photo by Matt Lien // Growler Magazine

Nothing caps off a holiday feast like the right dessert, and Zoë François baked us a showstopper. Rich and roasty Fulton Worthy Adversary is our pick for baking into (and drinking alongside) this cake for a truly memorable holiday pairing.

Chocolate Stout Devil’s Food with Rosemary Buttercream and Sugared Cranberries
By Zoë François, ZoeBakes.com

1 cup cocoa powder, sift if lumpy
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ cups stout – Fulton Worthy Adversary, preferred

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with butter and parchment paper.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
3. Whisk together eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the stout to the batter and whisk until totally blended and smooth. The batter will be quite runny.
4. Divide the batter in the three pans.
5. Bake the cakes for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool on a cake rack about 30 minutes, then remove from the pan. Cover with a thin layer of rosemary buttercream and garnish with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs.

Zoe Francois, Photo by Matt Lien // Growler Magazine

Rosemary Buttercream
½ cup egg whites (about 5 egg whites)
1 cup sugar
¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. It will be very thick and grainy.
2. Put the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and stir it with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted. This can take several minutes. Scrape the sides down with the spatula to make sure all the sugar is melted and no grains are clinging to the sides.
3. Once it is completely smooth, put it on your stand mixer and beat with whip attachment on medium high speed until it is light, fluffy, glossy, and the bowl feels just about room temperature.
4. Add the butter to it, two tablespoons at a time, on medium speed. Baker’s Tip: After you have added about half of the butter, it may look curdled and runny. This is normal and you should continue adding the rest of the butter.
5. Once you have finished adding the butter and it has mixed on medium speed for about a minute, the buttercream should be creamy and glossy looking again.
6. Add the salt, vanilla, and chopped rosemary.

Chocolate Stout Devil’s Food, Photo by Matt Lien // Growler Magazine

Cranberry and Rosemary Garnish
1 egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon water
Handful fresh cranberries
Springs fresh rosemary
½ cup sugar

1. Drop the cranberries in the egg-white mixture and then rub off any excess egg white with your fingers so there is a very thin film of the mixture on the cranberry.
2. Drop the cranberry in the sugar and roll around to cover completely. Remove and allow to dry on a plate. Repeat with all the cranberries.
3. Drag the tips of the rosemary in the egg white and shake off the excess. Dust with sugar and allow to dry with the cranberries.

More Holiday Feast Recipes:

Holiday Goose, by Jon Wipli, The Minnesota Spoon

Smoked Ham Hock and Confit Gizzard Stuffing, by Erik Sather, Lowry Hill Meats

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Pickled Peppers, by Ann Kim, Pizzeria Lola

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta Cream, by Alex Roberts, Restaurant Alma

Crunchy Wild Rice Salad with Citrus Dressing, by Stephanie Meyer, freshtart.com