Saturday, July 17, 2010

Stout Black Chocolate Cake

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Now playing: Deborah Friou - Currant
via FoxyTunes

More fun with currants! The currant bushes in my garden are Yellow Flowering currants. Recently, it was pointed out to me that one can use the flowers in cuisine, it is said that they smell of cloves. You can be sure I will check this out next spring. There are other names for this particular variety -Ribes aureum- spicebush, clove currant and golden currant (even though the berries are black.) These bushes are valued in landscapes for the flowers in spring and the leaves turn red in the fall. Native Americans used the flowers and berries to flavour and help preserve pemmican. Currants in general are high in vitamin C, manganese, iron and potassium, so why not add this to a nice drink, scone, fruit salad, or dessert?




I don't have anything against Guinness, in fact it is great stuff (I have been told that the Guinness in Ireland is much better than what the rest of us get, one day I will find out if it is true.) This time however, I used a local stout here in Fort Collins. When in the UK, I frequently have a drink called Guinness Black- currant syrup drizzled on the top of the head of the stout. YUM! So, I thought, why can't I make a sweet running with this idea. I have had Guinness Chocolate Cake, so why not currant icing?
There are many stout chocolate cake recipes online. The icing is made with a lb. of softened butter whipped, slowly alternate adding 4 c. icing sugar and 1 c. of currant syrup.





Just in case there wasn't enough stouty flavour,I made some stout frozen custard to go with.

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Garden and harvest views:







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