Ale, Cheddar and Chives Cake for the Daring bakers

To the question of Life, the Universe and Everything Celestial Dragon once answered "me". Records that survive from earlier eras even corroborate this. After all, how many cultures have dragons roaming their skies? How many great people, thinking themselves the epicentre of their empire, have adopted the dragon as their symbol? How many warriors, cowering in a ditch and hoping to be the last one standing on the battlefield while arrows, axes and frankly astonished pigs flew over their heads have called themselves sons of dragon? How many cooks, after having accidentally dropped an entire jar of chillies in the soup, have dubbed it dragon's broth (this last claim may be pure conjecture)? All the dragons invoked were in fact merely aspects of Celestial Dragon; and they all stem from that primeval "me" uttered so long ago.
Now, however, Celestial Dragon is fishing. He is resting his old bones in a modest boat, sailing along the Milky Way as time drives by in its Wingèd Chariot, saluting cordially. His golden angle is listlessly tucking at the stars, encroaching its hook in a solitary solar system that -silly system- had the unfortunate curiosity to poke its nose out of the whirling galaxy. Yet, upon closer inspection, one discovers that Celestial Dragon is in fact not really fishing: he is treasure hunting. For in his osier basket, propped up against the inner side of the boat, that is to say within reach of his agile claws, one can discover the incredible: a bottle of golden liquid, a lump of soft and mellow gold, and a few shoots of the greenest plant of all.
Some say that history has a tendency of being given to a certain amount of hyperboles, and that in fact Celestial Dragon had in his basket a bottle of ale, a piece of cheddar and some chives. Only he knows where he fished those from. Nevertheless, upon his return to the palace, he presented Divine Cherry with his treasure. But she, instead of being impressed, impatiently shook her head and grabbed them from him. Celestial Dragon was helplessly forced to observe as his most treasured possessions were being used as the involuntary special ingredients that would complete Divine Cherry's experiment: an Ale, Cheddar and Chives Cake. The coincidence was astonishing indeed.
Notwithstanding the improbable origins of that cake, it must in all fairness be said that it was delicious. So if you happen to chance upon a bottle of ale, a piece of cheddar and some chives while innocently fishing the day away on the Milky Way, make sure to follow this recipe – you shall not regret it!

Blog-checking lines: The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

Ale, cheddar and chives loaf Adapted from Recipe Girl’s Cheddar Chive Beer Batter Bread
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 handful chives, finely chopped
- 420 gm all-purpose (plain) flour
- 45 gm granulated sugar
- 10 gm baking powder
- 6 gm salt
- 240 g grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 330 ml bottle dark ale (brew dog)
- 55 gm butter, melted and divided

Preheat oven to moderately hot 190°C. Grease a loaf pan with butter. Cut the chives thinely. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Add onion, cheeses, and beer. Stir just until moist. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons of butter. Bake for 35 minutes; brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake an additional 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cake salato all'ale, cheddar e erba cipollina  ricetta adattata da Recipe Girl’s Cheddar Chive Beer Batter Bread
- 1 cucchiao di olio
- 1 manciata abbondante di erba cipollina sminuzzata
- 420 g farina
- 45 g zucchero
- 10 g lievito in polvere
- 6 g sale
- 240 g cheddar grattugiato
- una bottilia da 330 ml di ale scuro
- 55 g burro, sciolto e diviso in 2 ciotoline

Riscaldare il forno a 190 C. Imburrare una teglia da plum cake. In una ciotola mescolare farina, lievito, sale e zucchero. Fare un buco al centro e versare, il cheddar, l'erba cipollina e la birra. Mescolare velocemante solo per amalgamare il tutto. Versare il composto nella teglia e versare sulla superficie il burro sciolto. Cuocere in forno per 35 minuti. Versare il burro restante e finire di cuocere in forno per altri 23 minuti o fino a che il cake è cotto, verificare facendo la prova stecchino. Lasciare raffreddare per 5 minuti prima di sformare e lasciar raffreddare completamente.

 Enjoy And Spred The Mess