Eat this, drink that for Super Bowl LI: cake and beer

I’m back from a month in Italy, and super psyched that my Patriots are in the Super Bowl, ahem, again. I grew up in Littleton, Massachusetts back when they were the Boston Patriots. We eventually got used to sharing them with the five other New England states, if not begrudgingly, when they re-named the team.

I know the day is starting out well when even before I’ve had breakfast I’ve preheated the oven and taken out the ingredients for chocolate Porter cake. I looked up recipes for from-scratch cake and I opted instead for a high-quality mix, where I subbed in Porter for the 2/3 cup of water the instructions called for. I’m getting over jet lag, and I’m using that excuse instead of admitting I’m lazy, so instead of making a ganache or butter cream frosting, I planned to dust the top with powdered sugar.

Lo and behold, here is the final product. It took five minutes to mix the ingredients (no electric mixer needed), and thirty minutes to bake.

I am going to make this cake on WCHS Channel 6’s show 207 next week for Valentine’s day. I think I’ll use the cookie cutter I bought today to make heart-shaped little cakes out of the larger square. What do you think?

As for the Porter, I used Atlantic Brewing Company’s Coal Porter (get it? Cole Porter?) in the cake and Baxter Brewing Company’s Per Diem Porter for the photo shoot. Both are delicious versions of this particular style. Read Ron Pattinson’s excellent treatise on the difference between porters and stouts in All About Beer Magazine here:

http://allaboutbeer.com/whats-the-difference-between-porter-and-stout/

And speaking of Valentine’s Day. Get a head start and buy my book for your beer lover.

Finally! The most up to date book on New England craft beer is here!

Finally! The most up to date book on New England craft beer is here!

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Cone

About Kate Cone

Kate Cone has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, is a freelance writer and the author of "What's Brewing in New England: A Guide to Brewpubs and Microbreweries," published by Downeast Publications in 1997 and completely updated in 2016. She has been a foodie since age 8, when her dad taught her how to make coffee and an omelet, lifelong skills for happy eating.