Gingerbread Cake with Stout Buttercream

Twas the night before Christmas Eve....

I won’t try to rhyme, but my mother in law was arriving this night, and I had invited my Mom over for dinner also.  I knew I wanted something lighter than what we would be eating for the next few days, so I bought some fresh tilapia for supper.  I made a coating out of crushed pecans (very finely chopped in the food processor to look almost like flour), panko breadcrumbs and shredded Parmesan cheese.  I then dipped the fish in melted butter and then in the breadcrumb mixture.  It only took about 4-5 minutes under the broiler (watch very carefully – the pecans can and will burn)  If you are concerned, you may want to just bake them for about 10 minutes at 375 and then check for doneness.

We had this with rice, and roasted asparagus and it was delicious.  I think with any fresh white fish (snapper, catfish etc) this would be quick and easy.

For dessert, I had wanted to try this cake for some time and thought this would be a good night to do so.  It is from “The Best of Southern Living” magazine that I picked up in the grocery one day – it has so many pages turned down it looks like it is the only cookbook I have (ha!).  The cake was wonderful.  So moist and the stout beer flavors brought out the spiciness of the Gingerbread…I would absolutely do this again.  Using a gingerbread mix cuts your time down to almost nothing.   It is almost a week later, and it is still very moist and good.

Gingerbread cake with Stout Buttercream

Ingredients

•               2  (14.5-oz.) packages gingerbread cake mix

•               2 large eggs

•               2 3/4  cups  stout beer, at room temperature, divided

•               1/2  cup  butter, softened

•               1  (16-oz.) package powdered sugar

•               Garnishes: toasted pecans, rosemary sprigs

Preparation

1. Stir together gingerbread cake mix, eggs, and 2 1/2 cups stout beer in a large bowl until combined. Pour batter evenly into 2 lightly greased 8-inch square pans.

2. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool on wire rack 1 hour or until completely cool.

3. Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and remaining 1/4 cup stout beer, beating until blended after each addition. Beat 1 minute or until light and fluffy.

4. Spread stout buttercream between layers and on top of cake. Garnish, if desired.