IPA Sour Loaf Cake
What Dad Really Wants
I soaked this sour loaf beer cake with my hubby’s favorite beer; a good IPA! The bitterness of the IPA’s simple syrup created a nice contrast with the flavors of ginger and cardamom that are in this super soft sour loaf cake. I topped it all with a mega fluffy mascarpone whipped cream frosting and an IPA dulce de leche drizzle. This is where the IPA hits!
Any dad deserves a piece of this cake for Father’s Day weekend. It has all the things dad loves. I know the dad of this house does. And he deserves all the IPA cake he wants!
I know Mariana will be once again making great things for her dad from Heaven on Father’s day. She’s the luckiest girl because my husband is really the best dad in the world! His role as a dad has never stopped. He keeps working on the things Mariana loves and keeps doing the things they used to enjoy together when she was in this physical world. Now he keeps embracing those moments for the love he has for her. It’s truly a magical exchange of energy that I know makes my daughter smile. For me it’s truly an inspiration that keeps me going everyday. And I hope that anyone that witnesses him in action will be inspired to fill their path with unconditional love no matter the loss a soul is carrying.
That’s why, even if I can’t stand IPA’s, it was time to make daddy a cake with his favorite beer! The base of this cake is the same as my Sour Almond Loaf Cake. I made this version a bit spicier with ginger and cardamom to make the cake stand to the strong bitter notes IPA’s usually have. I made a soaking syrup with the IPA and fresh ginger, which is totally optional but it really adds a very nice kick to the cake. I topped this super high cake with a mascarpone whipped cream frosting and mixed some dulce de leche with a bit of beer to drizzle so the beer could be tasted through different layers. Isn’t this a perfect beer cake for dads or what?
Read some notes about my suggestions of the process before you begin. This cake is really simple to make and you are going to eat it non stop!
How to make this IPA Sour Loaf Cake
Start by mixing milk with vinegar and taking your butter out of the fridge. You want your butter soft but not warm. You should be able to leave an indentation on it if you press it lightly, but it should still feel a bit chill.
While the butter is softening, sift your flour, cornstarch, cardamom and ginger, baking powder and salt.
When the butter is ready, beat it with the sugar and vanilla extract. It’s important to follow the mixing times because you can’t incorporate too much air to this batter or the cake will collapse.
Proceed to add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sour cream into the batter and pour the milk. End by adding the flour mixture, not dumping it on the bowl but adding it about ¾ cup at a time.
At this point beat just until the flour mixture is incorporated. With a spatula mix any large visible streaks of flour. Scrap the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are not big lumps of flour there. It’s important to not over mix. This is key for yielding a soft loaf cake.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf cake pan. Mine was baked perfectly in exactly one hour but if your home is smelling too much of cake after 50 minutes, check it during the last 5 minutes of baking and test for doneness by inserting a large tooth pick to see if it comes out clean of raw batter.
While the cake is cooling down you can make the soaking syrup by heating IPA beer with sugar and a few pieces of ginger if you want to use it.
Wait about 5 minutes and remove the cake from the pan and place over a cooling rack. Poke it through and with a pastry brush distribute the IPA and ginger soaking syrup.
Wait until it cools down completely before smearing the mascarpone whipped cream frosting. To make this frosting make sure your ingredients are chilled. Also, your bowl and whisk attachment should be chilled for 5 minutes in the fridge.
I mixed some dulce de leche with a bit of beer to make it spreadable and also to add more beer flavor!
This cake gets even better during the second and third day after baked, if it gets to be around that long!
Even if you don’t make this cake for Father’s Day weekend, you need to make it soon! It’s a delicious snack cake that you don’t want to miss! Let me know how it goes!
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IPA Sour Loaf Cake with Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
Sour IPA Loaf Cake
◯ Full fat organic milk – about ⅔ cup
◯ White vinegar – 1 TBSP
◯ Unbleached all-purpose flour – 1 ¾ cup
◯ Cornstarch - ¼ cup
◯ Ground cardamon - ¼ to ½ Tsp
◯ Ground ginger - 1 Tsp
◯ Baking powder – 1 Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt – ½ Tsp
◯ Butter, softened – 8 TBSP (1/2 cup)
◯ Raw granulated sugar – 1 ¼ cup + ½ cup for the soaking syrup
◯ Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp
◯ Large organic free range eggs - 3
◯ Sour cream, at room temperature – ¼ cup
◯ IPA beer - ½ cup, divided
◯ Fresh ginger slices - 3 to 4
Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting
◯ Mascarpone cheese, chilled - 8 oz
◯ Vanilla extract - 2 Tsp
◯ Confectioner’s sugar - 1 cup, sifted
◯ Heavy cream, chilled - 1 cup
IPA Dulce de Leche drizzle
◯ Dulce de leche, canned - about ½ cup
◯ IPA beer - 2 to 3 TBSP
Details
Total time:
2 hours, including baking and cooling down times
Prep time:
20 minutes to prep the cake batter, 5 minutes to make the syrup and 5 minutes for the frosting
Baking time:
55 to 60 minutes
Equipment:
loaf cake pan, stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Steps
To make the IPA sour loaf cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray with baking spray your loaf cake pan.
Mix the ⅔ cup of milk with the tablespoon of vinegar.
Sift over a large bowl the 1 ¾ cup of flour, the ¼ cup of cornstarch, the ¼ teaspoon of cardamom (or a bit more if preferred), the teaspoon of ginger, the teaspoon of baking powder and the ½ teaspoon of salt.
Beat the 8 tablespoons of butter on your mixer on slow speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) for about one minute, just until loose and fluffed. Add the 1 ¼ cup of sugar and the teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat until a pale paste forms, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the three eggs, one at a time and waiting until one is incorporated before adding the next one. Add the ¼ cup of sour cream and pour the milk and vinegar mixture. Decrease speed to the lowest and add flour mixture in a couple of additions, waiting until most of the flour is incorporated before adding more. Stop as soon as you add the last flour. Mix with a spatula any remaining large streaks of flour, making sure to scrape the bottom and walls of the bowl.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a large toothpick comes out clean after inserted through the middle of the cake. Wait about 5 minutes before removing cake from pan.
While cooling down, heat over medium heat the ½ cup of sugar with almost the whole ½ cup of IPA, leaving out about two tablespoons, and the ginger pieces if using. Gently simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved, about two minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining IPA. Let it infuse a couple of minutes, then remove the ginger pieces.
Poke your cake and with a pastry brush pour the IPA ginger simple syrup, making sure you distribute it evenly and that the syrup is going through the holes. Frost with the mascarpone whipped cream frosting and drizzle some beer dulce de leche if using (recipes follow).
To make the mascarpone whipped cream frosting:
*Remember if possible to chill your bowl and whisk attachment for 5 to 10 minutes before making the frosting and to have all the ingredients measured and on hand.
Beat the 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese with the whisk attachment in medium speed (#4 in the stand mixer), just until it becomes fluffy. Do not over mix because it can curdle. As soon as you start whipping pour the vanilla and add the cup of the sifted confectioner’s sugar, about ½ cup at a time.
Immediately increase speed one notch (#6 in the standing mixer) and while whisking start pouring the cup of the chilled heavy cream in a stream. Mix just for an extra minute or two. Mine was ready after one minute. Do no overmix to prevent the frosting form curdling.
Scrape over cake and frost. Drizzle some IPA dulce de leche if desired.
To make the beer dulce de leche drizzle (optional):
Mix the half cup of dulce de leche with the beer, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding a bit more for a thinner consistency. Drizzle over frosted cake.
