Chocolate drip cakes are beautiful to look at, fun to make and span the spectrum from simple to over-the-top. I like to think of this one as simple yet elegant. The “wings” are reminiscent of a giant butterfly or a swan and though I considered kicking it up and notch and gilding their edges with gold, I decided to exercise some restraint and appreciate the beauty of the tones as they were. But how did we get to this ackee cake in the first place?
With last Friday being St. Patrick’s Day, by midweek I was literally up to my elbows in caraway seeds and raisins, so much so that my feelings went from “strongly like” to “neutral” with respect to caraway and I’d rather not see a raisin in anything on my plate for at least two months. Fortunately, there will be no soda bread in the near future (hopefully not till next year) but it did get me thinking about Guinness (naturally) which led to me to buttercream, then Guinness buttercream, then Ackee cake with Guinness buttercream and “pretty things” (this is a perfectly normal and logical train of thought in my mind).
In 2008 I wanted to make an ultimate man cake (ha, I rhymed, yes I know I’m corny). Carrot cake was always a favourite of my male customers so I thought pairing it with stout frosting would be a nice change from the usual cream cheese. It was a hit and I’ve kept it in my repertoire since. Rather than being smack you over the head bitter, the stout taste is in the finish. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Devon House in Jamaica, this buttercream is similar in flavour to Devon Stout – if you haven’t already, give it a try, you’ll be “hoppy” you did (see what I did there? 🤣 Ok, I’ll stop).
I noticed that in this batch of buttercream, the Guinness flavour wasn’t as pronounced as I remember it being; afterwards, I realised that I had picked up the extra stout version, whereas in Jamaica I would get the foreign extra stout which is stronger in aroma and fuller in body in comparison to the more smooth extra stout. I would advise using the foreign extra stout if you can find it.
If you’re not a fan of Guinness or don’t drink alcohol, vanilla, caramel, dulce de leche, coconut or chocolate are all other wonderful flavours that would pair nicely.
Which brings me to the ackee cake!!!
I know, I know, I’ve rambling about soda bread, Guinness, hops, carrots and flavours but saying nothing about this gorgeous ackee cake.
So without further ado, let’s talk about this Golden Ackee Cake with it’s sexy, tender crumb and beautiful hue. Here the ackee flavour is prominent but still leans toward being nutty in flavour. Like other butter cakes it is dense and remains moist provided that it is well wrapped. Rich and delicious even without frosting, perfect for a cup of strong black coffee, but I was in a dramatic mood thus the final presentation.
The cakes were baked in two 8 inch round pans: I sliced each in half to get four layers; filled and frosted the cake going light on the outside (so it could be a naked(ish) cake); chilled the cake; applied the ganache drizzle; then finally: placed the truffles and white chocolate swoosh garnishes.
What are your thoughts on Ackee Cake? Would you try it? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you make this or any of the recipes from the site, be sure to #amazingackee and @amazingackee so I can see your posts across social media.
Until next time, thanks for stopping by 😊
Golden Ackee Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (6oz) Butter, unsalted
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tsps Vanilla
- 1 can Ackee drained and pureed till smooth (about 2 cups parboiled)
- 3 cups All purpose flour I use unbleached
- 1 ½ tsps Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Prepare two 8 inch round baking tins by greasing and lining with parchment or spraying with a flour based non-stick pan coating (you can also use three 8 inch rounds if you want to do a three layer cake or bake it in a 10-12 cup bundt pan)
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition; then add the vanilla and ackee puree.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture with the milk for three additions of flour and two additions of milk (you will start and end with the flour). Mix well after each addition to combine but do not overmix.
- Divide equally between pans and bake in oven for 30 to 45 till golden brown and the cakes spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan (about 15 minutes) before demoulding and allowing to cool on a wire rack (a little tip I picked up here is to place the cakes directly in the freezer to stop the cooking, much like shocking vegetables in ice cold water after blanching them, if you don’t have the freezer space and find your cake to be on the drier side when done it can always be brushed with a bit of simple syrup)
Guinness Buttercream - Swiss Meringue
Ingredients
- 135 g Egg whites
- 240 g Granulated sugar white
- 375 g Butter unsalted, softened
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Bottle of Guinness simmered till reduced by half
Instructions
- Combine egg whites and sugar in a stainless steel bowl and place over a pot of simmering water (the mouth of the pot should be large enough to securely hold the bowl, alternately you can do this in the top of a double boiler)
- Whisk constantly with a wire whip until the sugar completely dissolves (you can test this by rubbing some of the meringue between your fingers, you should not feel any sugar grains, it should be completely smooth)
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip at high speed until stiff peaks have formed and the bowl is cool to the touch. Add the salt.
- Add the softened butter a bit by bit waiting till the previous addition is combined before continuing. (I like to switch over to the paddle attachment at this point simply because it’s easier to get the finished buttercream off the paddle than the whisk)
- While mixing, the buttercream may appear to curdle but keep whipping and it will come back together into perfect beautiful buttercream, if it seems hopeless, place it briefly over some simmering water and whip it again.
- Start pouring in the reduced Guinness. When you’ve poured about half in you’ll want to start tasting it as you may not want to add the full amount according to your preference.
Guinness Buttercream - Italian Meringue
Ingredients
- 125 g Egg whites
- 250 g Granulated sugar white
- 1 bottle of Guinness 80mL set aside and the remaining simmered till reduced by half
- 375 g Butter unsalted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Note: To make Italian meringue you would usually make the syrup from water and sugar, in this recipe I have replaced the water with Guinness. This makes things a bit tricky since the Guinness sputters quite a lot in comparison to how the syrup would typically behave. Be sure to use a saucepan with high sides so that it will not bubble over.
- Combine the Guinness and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Keep boiling until the syrup reaches 243F (You can attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. I use an infrared thermometer and I’ve stopped at a reading of as little as 224F with perfect results – I must say though, that I’ve done this sufficient times now to be able to tell when the syrup is ready by sight – the bubbles pop more slowly than they do when the syrup first begins to boil).
- While the syrup is cooking, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites till they form soft peaks.
- With the machine still running, slowly pour in the syrup and continue beating until the meringue is cool and forms firm peaks. Add the salt.
- Add the softened butter a bit by bit waiting till the previous addition is combined before continuing. (I like to switch over to the paddle attachment at this point simply because it’s easier to get the finished buttercream off the paddle than the whisk)
- While mixing, the buttercream may appear to curdle but keep whipping and it will come back together into perfect beautiful buttercream, if it seems hopeless, place it briefly over some simmering water and whip it again.
- Start pouring in the reduced Guinness. When you’ve poured about half in you’ll want to start tasting it as you may not want to add the full amount according to your preference.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 150 mL Heavy cream
- 150 g Semisweet chocolate
Instructions
- Place chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside
- Heat cream in a saucepan till barely simmering (bubbles should just start to form around the edges of the pan)
- Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for a few minutes.
- Whisk till combined