With tasty Bavarian cuisine, like giant pretzels, bratwurst hotdogs, kartoffels and schnitzels, with people dressed up in fun costumes, and with the best beer that anyone could dream of, the TOPS at SPAR Bierfest was the place to be this past weekend, and the Source Food Team was there to enjoy it all. Modelled on the world-renowned Oktoberfest, Bierfest recreated this entertaining festival with a South African flavour.
The event was set in an authentic blue and white Bavarian beer hall with fräuleins serving us fistfuls of frothing beer. Live Oompah music played throughout the event and kept our spirits festive, and there was a surprise feature from the Rockerfellas. There were plenty of opportunities for us to attempt various traditional Oktoberfest challenges, and all the beer lovers were able to enjoy 3 Bavarian-styled beers specially crafted South African Breweries Limited.
Voted as the ‘next best thing’ to actually being at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, the TOPS at SPAR Bierfest is South Africa’s largest, annual festival of Bavarian beer culture, and next year promises to be festive and fun, filled with frothing beer.
With the spirit and festivities of Bierfest still in the air, our talented chef, Jess van Dyk, created a South African themed beer cake for the beer lovers to try at home.
LAGER CAKE WITH MALT BUTTER CREAM
Yield: 1 x 3 layer cake
Preparation time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 30 min
INGREDIENTS
Beer Cake
240 g butter
200 g castor sugar
5 ml vanilla essence
1 tsp instant coffee
4 eggs
240 g cake flour
3/4 cup beer of choice
pinch of salt
Malt Butter Cream
2 cups butter
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/2 cup oveltine powder
80 ml milk
1 packet maltesers/whispers
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 170 C.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until white and fluffy.
- Slowly incorporate the egg along with the vanilla and coffee granules.
- Add the flour and beer alternatively to form a mixture with a drop consistency.
- Divide mixture between 3 x 20 cm cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
- For the butter cream, cream the butter until soft.
- Add spoonfuls of icing sugar to the butter, creaming well between each addition.
- Add the malt powder and enough of the milk to create a fluffy light icing.
TO ASSEMBLE
- Chop half the maltesers into small chunks and mix with 1/2 the butter cream.
- spread this mixture between the cake layers.
- Using the plain butter cream, give the cake an overall crumb layer and place in the fridge to set.
- Once the crumbing layer has set, decorate the cake however desired.
- Garnish with the maltesers and melted chocolate.