Seriously adult mocha stout muffins with salted caramel and lime
Before we go any further, I must warn you that if you are a milk chocolate lover who shudders at the thought of ingesting a morsel of 70% of the super dark stuff, these may not float your boat. There again if you like salted caramel…
A bottle of mocha stout appeared in our fridge, was opened by Houseguest, who took one sip, wrinkled his nose and switched to a beer (Cornish pale ale as it happens). An idea wormed its way into my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about how it would work in cake even though a) it’s too hot for cake-making or cake-eating in Dubai right now b) my muffin top doesn’t need any more muffins c) veggie teen is vegan this month plus it’s Ramadan so cake eaters are thin on the ground, especially for baking which includes alcohol. However….
…the next morning I braved my steamy kitchen, tinkered with some muffin recipes and produced some crumbly, knobbly, damp, slightly bitter, darkly chocolate, definitely not-for-children muffins. They needed a sweet foil to their goth-like tendencies. Thanks to everyone who pitched in on Instagram and Facebook to suggest flavours; salted caramel came out top. I was tempted by Karin‘s mint cream cheese and butter idea, but Jennifer‘s ginger suggestion got me thinking too. As a citrus addict, my light bulb moment was to add lime.
These are not difficult to make but involve a few stages. I’m imagining them strewn, nay thrown on a large tray for dessert when you have friends round. Filled with salted caramel and daubed and drizzled with both toppings in a way which would make Jackson Pollack proud. Mini-muffins would be good too (shorten the baking time).
Salted caramel filled mocha stout and chocolate muffins with lime and ginger drizzle
Ingredients for the muffins
- 300g plain flour
- 100g raw cacao (or cocoa)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 free range eggs (medium)
- 125ml vegetable oil or melted butter
- 250ml mocha stout
- 200g soft light brown sugar
- 100g dark chocolate chips (or cut up chocolate)
Method
- Sift the flour, cacao and baking powder into bowl.
- Beat the eggs with the oil and stout. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Line a 12 cup muffin tray with baking cases and spoon in the mixture (I use an ice cream scoop).
- Bake in a preheated oven to 200C for about 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack and when cool remove a cylinder from the centre of each muffin with an apple corer. Fill with salted caramel (great recipe here). Drizzle with ginger lime icing.
Ingredients for ginger lime icing
- 75g stem ginger
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- Zest of 1 lime, grated
- 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon of syrup from the ginger jar (optional)
Method
Whizz the ginger in a food processor (or chop finely by hand). Add the lime zest and icing sugar and whizz again to combine. Slowly pour in 2 tablespoons of the lime juice and the stem ginger syrup and process briefly. Leave for 1 minute. Lift a spoon out sideways and it should drizzle off in thick ribbons. You can add a tiny bit more lime juice to loosen if it doesn’t.
Dig in. Eat with your hands. Cram the crumbling cakes into mounds of caramel and lick the icing off your fingers. Don’t worry about your table manner – I’ll forgive you. Serve with coffee or a vin santo such as Domaine Sigalas Vinsanto made in Santorini (in Dubai, ask in MMI and they will get it for you).
Beer in cake tickle your fancy? Try this chocolate and porter cake from Kavey Eats or double chocolate stout brownies on Fuss Free Flavours.
Have I persuaded you to come over to the dark side?
Trackbacks
- 15 Creative and Adventurous Dubai Bloggers You Should Know | Adewale Adelani
- Tastes of paradise – in my kitchen | My Custard Pie
Comments are closed.
My Custard Pie 
I think WOW! sums these muffins up nicely.
They look fabulous! Love the idea of the lime! And thanks for the mention! Keep the ginger in mind!
I never left the dark side 🙂
Heavenly! I love “adult” treats and desserts. 😉
Cheers,
Rosa
omg YUM!!!!!
OMG.. those look sooo nommy! 🙂
Ooh these look a bit naughty! Wish I could try one!
Looks like you had fun! If I can’t get mocha stout, what would you suggest as a substitute?
They look absolutely mouth watering…very good indeed:)
Oh WOW – they look amazing!
Ooo. Now this is what I call a muffin!
Fabulous!
Have a super day Sally.
🙂 Mandy xo
Oh my gosh. These look so good!
I’ve made beer brownies and I know they were delicious, I bet the addition of the salted caramel and all those citrussy, icing dribbles make these even better. Love the photos, definitely look like muffins to get sticky with. GG
These look such fun and you know I love stout / porter in chocolate cake!!
Please bring these to my house right now. You deliver, is that right?
I love your photographs – you just want to lick it all clean 😉
Ooey gooey madness I say! That looks absolutely mouthwatering
I noticed these with keen interest on IG and knew they would be wonderful, Sally. OH and daughter would be more than delighted to have a break from my usual crazy baking/raw food sweet experiments. I may have to sneak these into the oven without telling my nutritionist alter ego ;).
I love, love, love the Jackson Pollock photos! Those are gorgeous muffins, Sally!
oh wow, these look good..and I wouldn’t mind giving that beer a try too.
They sound ridiculously good, Sally!! I laughed out loud at the thought of you baking alcoholic muffins in the middle of a hot Dubai Ramadan!! 🙂
These sound amazing and I love love love the perfectly messy styling.
The combination of flavors really caught my attention. Mocha, chocolate, stout, ginger and lime? Wow, a very interesting combo.
fantastic dessert