Friday, November 12, 2010

Cherry Chocolate and Stout Loaf

The lovely Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging. Here in Victoria, we're just about to start the all too brief cherry season and while I haven't got fresh cherries I have found something that's almost as good - dried Royal cherries.

dried royal cherries© by Haalo



The reality is that for 90% of the year, you'll have to satisfy yourself with frozen, canned, glace or dried versions. I'm personally not too keen on glace cherries, frozen and canned have their place but dried can be a bit of a hit and miss affair - that was until I first tasted these cherries. They are almost like lollies - dense and chewy with a deep sweet cherry flavour, it takes a lot of will-power not to devour these by the handful.

As a means of extending the life span of these cherries I'll be using them to make a version of Dan Lepard's Chocolate, Stout and Raisin Slice.

It's an interesting recipe - instead of using milk, Stout is used. Stout is a dark beer made from either roasted barley or malt. I've used a local stout - Hargreaves Hill Stout which is brewed from roasted barley.

Hargreaves Hill Stout© by Haalo


With its chocolate notes, it should fit in nicely with the rest of the ingredients. I've replaced the rolled oats with rolled spelt as I prefer their more nutty flavour. I've also decreased the sugar and replaced some of the flour with almond meal. Finally I've replaced the icing with a simple dark chocolate ganache. If you look at the original recipe the icing requires 325 grams of icing sugar - that is sugar coma territory.

Cherry, Chocolate and Stout Loaf© by Haalo


Cherry, Chocolate and Stout Loaf

1 bottle/330mls Hargreaves Hill Stout (or your favourite Stout)
50 grams rolled spelt
25 grams cocoa powder
80 grams butter, cut into cubes
100 grams dark chocolate (I used Lindt 85% dark chocolate)
180 grams soft brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
180 grams dried royal cherries
200 grams plain flour
50 grams almond meal
1½ teaspoons baking powder

Ganache Topping
½ cup dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70% dark chocolate)
¼ cup cream


Make the Ganache:

Place the dark chocolate and cream into a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool before using.
Make the Loaf:

Pour the stout into a pan - add in the rolled spelt and cocoa powder and place over a low heat. Stir until the cocoa powder has dissolved - bring the mixture to boiling point and then simmer for a minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, add in the butter and dark chocolate and stir until both have dissolved. Add in the brown sugar and stir again until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and glossy. Pour this into a bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Sift the plain flour, almond meal and baking powder together into a clean bowl.

Lightly whisk the egg with the vanilla bean paste and drizzle into the warm mixture - stir constantly to incorporate and to the stop the egg from "cooking" in the heat.

Add in the cherries, followed by the sifted flour and stir until combined.

Pour the mixture evenly into a buttered and lined 10x28cm loaf tin, smoothing out the surface. Put the tin on an oven tray and bake in a preheated 160°C oven for about 60 minutes - if it still feels a little too soft, cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Let the loaf cool in the tin before unmoulding - and ice once cold. Spread the cooled ganache roughly over the surface, allowing it to dribble down the sides. Let the topping cool completely before serving.

Cherry, Chocolate and Stout Loaf© by Haalo


You don't need to worry about the cake tasting like beer - what's left behind accentuates the flavours of the other ingredients. It's almost brownie like in texture, it is moist and chewy but not heavy. The dried cherries which stud the cake break up the chocolate flavour with an intense hit of sweet cherry. The chocolate ganache makes it a little more decadent but without adding any more sweetness to the cake.

A slice served with a good cup of coffee and you've got a wonderful afternoon treat to see you through the rest of the day.

8 comments

  1. This looks incredible-- I've never tried rolled spelt in a loaf, but combined with the almond meal, the texture of this looks so fine and dense. Really unusual. I'm looking forward to trying this!

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  2. I'm actually not normally a fan of chocolatey baked goods, but this looks INSANELY amazing. So rich and deep and dark! I also can't help doing mental applause anytime Lindt 85% is mentioned. I love that stuff! :D

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  3. I saw some dried cherries at Essential Ingredient the other week and wondered what I could do with them. Now I know! The loaf looks amazing, my mouth is watering looking at the pics!! That's going on the list

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  4. Looks like Xmas is a little early this year. What a beauty - reminds me of a boozy stollen.

    Great choice for WHB, Haalo. Thanks!

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  5. This is a great recipe, and it looks fantastic.

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  6. Thanks Carolyn - it has a lovely chewy but moist characteristic.

    Thanks Hannah - it's fabulous chocolate and it's great to use it in something like this.

    Thanks Deb - where they the tasmanian cherries?

    Thanks Susan - I hadn't thought about christmas but it would make a good alternative to fruit cake

    Thanks Lonelyradish!

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  7. I am a fan of Dan Lepard, but I have only made bread or crackers using his recipes. This is a very interesting cake. Your "sugar coma territory" expression made me laugh: it describes well how I react to recipes with a lot of sugar. I think a ganache is perfect here. And those dried cherries look amazing.

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  8. Thanks Simona - Dan Lepard has lots of great ideas and backs it up with recipes that work

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