Root Beer cake

Part of the satisfaction of using leftovers is the light, expansive feeling you get when the fridge is cleared of one less container.

A beauty eh?
With the clutter removed, the dark clouds lift, the rays of the sun filter through and I can see clearly now (the rain is gone).

Or at least until you cook or bake something with those leftover ingredients and are left with even more leftover ingredients in the fridge.

I recently decided to clear a bottle of root beer that has been opened a month ago and thus registers under the ‘dead’ category for B, which means ‘alive and well for experimentation’ for me.

Leading leftover: Root Beer

Root Beer Cake (I followed BrowneyedBaker's recipe)

(a)
2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
2 eggs

(b) Glaze or Icing (adapted from Rosie)
1 cup of sugar (powdered sugar for icing or regular granulated sugar for a glaze)
1/4 cup of root beer

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Grease the inside of a 9-inch tube pan and dust with flour, shaking out the excess flour. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the dark brown and granulated sugars and whisk until dissolved. Turn off the flame and set aside to cool. Transfer into a mixing bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined.
4. Sift in flour mixture into the cocoa mixture and beat until just combined. The batter will be slightly lumpy, take care not not overbeat it, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.
6. Check your temper. If you are currently in a state of anger or anxiety, count to 100 before proceeding. Proceed with the next step only if you are in zen mode.
7. Poke the cooled cake all over with a toothpick or a fork. Do this meditatively.
8. For the glaze, combine the sugar and root beer in a container. Pour the glaze and let it soak into the cake.

The verdict?

Can’t say the root beer flavour was at all obvious, even after several days.

Before I say more, let me do a quick survey here...

Nope, seems no one is complaining about its taste and texture. It is very dense and rich chocolate cake, almost like a chocolate pound cake.

Since the batter was enough, I also made a sheet cake and decorated it with drizzling white chocolate on top of the cake. Here it is, alongside the cinnamon swirl cream cheese cake pound cake.

What would The Failed Chef do next time?

• Make it again only if I have root beer extract for more flavour
• Try leaving the cake out on the counter so the glaze does not firm up as quickly and see if the cake turns out just as dense