Six generation Yorkshire family brewers, the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, has joined forces with Shipley based bakers and patissiers, Just Desserts, to create a novel chocolate beer cake. Award-winning Just Desserts has adapted its 28 year old chocolate fudge cake recipe and infused it with a key ingredient – the brewery’s flagship strong ale, Riggwelter beer – to bake a choco-malty cake for the Black Sheep visitor centre and bar/bistro.
The ‘ewe-nique’ Black Sheep chocolate beer cake has a distinctive rich, dark flavour with malty notes and has been handcrafted by the Just Desserts bakers. Riggwelter ale, Black Sheep Brewery’s second best selling bottled beer, was created in the mid ’90s at the time becoming the strongest beer in the black sheep flock. Riggwelter has real strength, built around rich espresso aromas, dark fruit and roasted malt flavours. It’s this rich espresso and chocolate flavours combined with strong fruitiness that makes Riggwelter the perfect ingredient for a decadent chocolate dessert-with-a-difference.
Derek Ballentyne, head chef, Black Sheep Brewery bistro said: “We are so impressed with the team at Just Desserts, who produce a range of award-winning, traditionally handcrafted products in Yorkshire. We invited the team to help us develop a beer infused cake, as we aimed to introduce a new indulgent dessert in our bar/bistro to capitalise on the coffee and cake culture. We are also selling the beer cake at our visitor centre, as we wanted tourists and customers to take home a little slice of the Yorkshire Dales. It’s great that we have been able to work with a fellow Yorkshire business which is as passionate about quality as we are.”
James O’Dwyer, managing director, Just Desserts said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with the Black Sheep Brewery, which is recognised for its award winning range of bottled and cask ales and perfects every recipe using fresh quality ingredients and traditional brewing methods ““ this is also true of our baking methods so it is a great partnership. We took one of our tried and tested recipes and substituted liquid for the beer and after much development to get the taste, texture and quality just right, we think we have baked a cake with character. We hope bar and bistro customers and tourists who flock to the year round attraction in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales national park will enjoy a slice or two of our chocolate beer cake made lovingly in the region.”