Boozy Baked Goods

Like the baking of bread, the brewing of beer is based on fermentation and has been around for thousands of years—it’s believed that both techniques were discovered around the same time, likely by accident. With a mildly yeasty flavor and carbonation, beer makes an excellent baking liquid and adds a light, airy quality to fritters, biscuits, cakes, and breads.

When choosing a beer to bake with, it’s important to keep in mind its aroma, flavor profile, and intensity. As a general rule, the flavors of beer are best suited to pairing with other strong flavors—think cheese scones, rich chocolate cakes, and spicy gingerbreads. Get started with the recipes below, then you can experiment with tweaking old favorites. When changing existing recipes, start by substituting only a portion of the baking liquid with beer—this will prevent the bitterness of the hops from being too concentrated and overwhelming.

Beer Batter Bread

Great hot out of the oven with cheese and mustard or as a side for a steaming bowl of soup or stew, this simple quick bread really takes on the flavors of the beer you use. A loaf made with Stella Artois will have a mild malt, yeasty flavor and just a touch of bitterness while one made with Leffe Blonde will have a subtle sweetness. The carbonation is what makes the bread rise, so be sure you don’t over mix the batter. For a variation on the theme, try Beer, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Olive Quick Bread.

Kabocha Squash Cake with Brown Sugar Cream

Courtesy of star pastry chef Will Goldfarb, this autumnal recipe calls for a lager or mild flavored beer to add a buoyancy and complexity to these small cakes. Leffe Blonde, with its golden hue and notes of banana and spice would be a good pairing with the creamy kabocha squash and cinnamon.

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This rich, fudgy creation could easily be made with Leffe Brown—though not a traditional stout, its dark coloring, robust body, soft velvety texture, and warm notes of roasted caramel, malt, and chocolate make it a great alternative.

See more recipes for beer-filled baked goods.