Recipe: Beer Cake (Lactose Free)

Beer Cake. Enough said.

Ingredients
CAKE
- 100g butter, softened
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- A splash of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon soy milk (I used Vitasoy Soy Milky)
- 3 eggs
- Just under 1 cup of dark ale (I used White Rabbit - Dark Ale)
- 1 pinch of lemon zest
- 1 cup of honey
- 2 & 2/3 cups of Aldi Gluten Free Self Raising Flour (you can substitute this for standard SR. Flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup of chopped walnuts

ICING
- 125g butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- A splash of vanilla extract
- 3 cups of icing sugar

Method

CAKE

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line your cake pan with baking paper.
(I used a pan approx. 20x30x5cm)

- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, beating well between each egg.
- Pour the beer in. Some for the cake, then some for you.

(It's normal for the mixture to separate at this point)
- Add the soy milk and lemon zest and beat well. Stir in the honey.

- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon sugar and nutmeg to remove any lumps then stir the mixture into the wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Fold the chopped walnuts through the mixture. 

- Pour into the cake tin evenly then bake for 35 minutes. Cake should be browned and an inserted skewer or knife into the centre should come out clean.

Leave to cool before removing cake from cake pan.

ICING

- Beat together softened butter, icing sugar, lemon and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. 

Once cake has cooled use a spatula to thickly spread icing on all sides of the cake. Sprinkle some walnuts on top for presentation.