Step aside tea, coffee and sparkling wine, says expert Mark Dredge – beer can be just the thing for sipping with a slice of the sweet stuff
Beer school.
Sure, you’re not immediately thinking about opening a beer to go with a slice of cake. I understand that. But hear me out, because while tea and coffee might be the first drinks that come to mind, their flavours are very similar to what you find in beer. Take tea, which is malty and floral – two of the most common beer descriptors. Then there’s coffee, with its roasted bitterness and flavours of fruit and chocolate, which is a lot like dark beers. And what about carbonation? Well, have you ever had a glass of champagne or sparkling wine with lemon cake? It’s a great combination.
When you next have a piece of cake, forget about putting the kettle on – look in the fridge and see what beers you have instead. Try dark, strong beer with cakes made with chocolate, coffee, banana or dried fruit. If you have carrot or ginger cake, try them with strong, hoppy beers. Match sweet and sharp lemon cake with fruit beers made with cherry or raspberry. You might be surprised at how well beer and cake can work together. markdredge.com
Find more selections at deliciousmagazine.co.uk/beerschool
HAVE YOUR BEER AND EAT IT
You’ve probably heard of chocolate stout cake, but other classic recipes also use beer, including Irish porter cake, or dark ale in a malt loaf instead of using steeped black tea. You could also add coffee stout into a coffee and walnut cake.
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