Guinness Bread with Molasses

So after using 1/2 a cup of Guinness to make the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes I had most of a can left.  I was home alone with the kids and I don't drink Guinness.  I hated to waste the beer so I quick googled a search for Guinness recipes.  I didn't want another dessert and knew that this was the recipe to make as soon as I saw it. I didn't have self-rising flour so I used the substitution given and thought it came out fine.  I was bringing this to my parent's house for our corned beef and cabbage dinner.  I was dying to taste a little piece since I would hate if it turned out bad.  But I controlled myself.  My mom always makes traditional Irish Soda Bread.  We cut this up and served it with the meal, alongside the Irish Soda Bread.  The  molasses gave it a sweet taste while the Guinness gave it a stouty, beer flavor. We gave little bites to the kids to try, and they liked it (but they like all bread, really!), but I thought it was a little too beery tasting for them to eat a lot of.  It was nice and moist, and slathered with butter it was tasty.  It was something different to try and a way to use up the Guinness.  However, it can never replace the traditional Irish Soda Bread!

Guinness Bread with Molasses
from Simply Recipes Posted by Hank Shaw

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

This is fantastic eaten fresh, and nearly as good the next day toasted with some more butter. Do not use stale beer for this recipe, you want the carbonation.

Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour*
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup molasses
A pinch of salt (roughly 1/8 teaspoon)
12 ounces of Guinness beer
Butter for greasing the pan and painting the top, about 3 tablespoons

* If you don't have self-rising flour, you can substitute using a ratio of 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, plus 1/8 teaspoon of salt, for every cup of self-rising flour. Have made both ways though and got better results from the self-rising flour.

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan well with butter.

2.  Pour the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Slowly pour the Guinness into the flour mixture. (The “pub cans” are larger than 12 ounces, but they have better carbonation, so I pour most of it out and leave a swig to drink. This has never failed me, but if you are a stickler, use a 12-ounce bottle of Guinness instead.) Start stirring the beer into the dry ingredients, and when you are about halfway done, add the molasses. Mix well, just to combine. Don’t work the heck out of the batter – because that’s what it’ll look like – but you don’t want lumps, either.

4. Pour into the loaf pan to no more than 2/3 full. Pop into the oven immediately and bake for 50 minutes. Since ovens can vary, check the bread after 40 minutes and see if a toothpick inserted into the deepest part of the loaf comes out clean. If it does, you’re done.

5.  Let the loaf cool a bit, maybe 5 minutes, and then turn it out onto a rack. Paint it with lots of soft butter, which will melt as you go.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

While I was making the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for the adults for my parent's St. Patrick's Day celebration I needed a child-friendly dessert.  I recently discovered that my kids love cheesecake.  I already knew they loved brownies.  So, I found this recipe in my stash of recipes torn out of magazines from long ago and decided to give these a try.  I put a drop of green food coloring in the cheesecake batter to make it look more holiday-ish.  Overall, I thought they were okay....really, have you ever eaten a bad brownie?  I think if I had my choice, I'd rather keep the two treats separate.   

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies
from Gourmet, June 2007

Yield:  16

Active Time: 15 minutes
Start to Finish: 50 minutes (not including cooling)

Two adored classics come together in this dessert lover's superbrownie.

Ingredients:

For brownie batter:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter:
8 oz. cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make brownie batter:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. 

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted.  Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined.  Whisk in flour until just combined  and spread in baking pan. 

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies:
Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.  Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. 

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Family Rating: 1 thumbs up.

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Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I know St. Patrick's Day was almost a week ago.  However, I made several recipes that I wanted to share.....I'll repost them next year too, so maybe they'll be of more use!

My parents decided to have a little St. Patrick's Day family gathering at their
place.  I had seen lots of posts on various food blogs for special holiday treats so I volunteered to bring dessert. Now, my husband and I are not big drinkers at all.  I saw this recipe and had to make it....unfortunately, we owned neither of the three alcohols that needed to go into this recipe.  Luckily my parents owned two of them.  So I picked up a can of Guinness and the bottle of Irish Whiskey from them and bought a bottle of Irish Cream from the liquor store.  I'm going to be honest, I couldn't make myself buy the $24 bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream when I could buy the same size bottle of Merry's Irish Cream for $11.  I only planned on cooking with it, not drinking it, so I felt okay with  my decision!  I posted the original recipe here, but I ended up halving the recipe since there were only 6 adults eating these and I didn't want a ton leftover.  I have to say at first I wasn't that impressed.  I couldn't really taste the alcohol in them (and shh, even let my kids have a little taste!).  When I brought home the leftovers and let them sit in the fridge overnight, the ganache ended up hardening more and I ended up liking them more the next day....and the next!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
from Brown Eyed Baker

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Bake Time: 17 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Directions:
1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

Mommy & Daddy Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.