Goals: make chocolate cake with Liefmans

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: chocolate cake with Liefmans beer.

Liefmans, the fruity red beer, is not only nice to drink on the rocks, but it also surprisingly works well in sweet bakes, like in this chocolate cake. Deliciously tasty and very simple to make yourself, so get started quickly.

INGREDIENTS
25 cl Liefmans Fruitesse
180 g cane sugar
180 g flour
135 g soft butter
2 eggs
40 g bitter cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
150 g cream cheese
70 g powdered sugar
80 ml whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beer in cakes or pastries may sound crazy, but it works better than you might think. Beer ensures that the batter becomes nice and airy and full of flavor. The cake doesn't really get a true beer flavor, but you will definitely taste the fruity Liefmans flavor in the cake.

Here's how to make the chocolate cake with Liefmans

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line an 18 cm springform pan with baking paper.
2. In a kneading machine, mix the soft butter with the cane sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one: let the egg fully incorporate into the mixture before adding the second one.
3. Meanwhile, sift the flour with the cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda, and then add it to the mixture with the eggs and butter. Add the beer and mix everything well.
4. Whip the cream and set it aside.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and place it in the warm oven for an hour.
6. Once the cake is baked, let it cool in the pan and then place it on a cooling rack.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Mix the soft butter with the cream cheese. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar until you get a thick cream. Fold in the whipped cream.
   Spread the cream over the surface of the cake. Place it in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.