I love fruit beer. In London, I lived near a pub that sold all different kinds – now all I can get is whatever they sell in the supermarket, which is usually Fruili, a strawberry beer. Fruili is fab but it would be nice to have something different for a change, which is where Liefmans Fruitesse comes in. It’s a traditional sour brown Belgian beer, but with the addition of cherries, bilberries, elderberries, strawberries and raspberries.
It’s not as sweet as most fruit beers, so it would appeal to people who aren’t keen on fruit beer, as well as appealing to those who do. Personally, I’m keen on anything as long as it’s alcoholic.
Along with the beer I was sent to try, I was also sent a recipe for Liefmans Fruitesse Cupcakes, which has the beer added to them. I don’t like to waste alcohol by putting it in food and I’m not a great cake lover anyway, so I haven’t tried the recipe. If you want to have a go making fruit beer cupcakes, then here’s the recipe.
Liefmans Fruitesse Strawberry & Lime Cupcakes – designed by Masie Johnson, the ‘R&R Gastro Intern’
Ingredients (makes 12)
Cupcakes
100ml semi-skimmed milk
100ml Liefmans Fruitesse
115g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
250g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp strawberry flavouring
12tsp strawberry jam
Icing
75g unsalted butter
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
275g icing sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix the milk and Fruitesse together in a measuring jug.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until a creamy texture is formed. Add the eggs separately, then pour in the flour and beat well.
- Add the milk/Fruitesse mixture and beat again until smooth. Then pop in the strawberry flavouring, along with the baking powder, and mix.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases, dividing evenly, approximately 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until moist. *TIP* Insert a skewer into the middle of the cupcakes, and if the stick is left clean, then they’re ready to leave the oven.
- Once baked, transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool.
- Using an apple corer, remove the middle of each cupcake to create space for a gooey jam centre. Using a piping bag, insert the strawberry jam until it reaches the top of each cake.
- For the icing, beat the butter with 5 tablespoons of the freshly squeezed lime juice, along with the icing sugar, until creamy. Pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with the lime zest. To give it a colourful finish, pop a strawberry, or a strawberry sweet onto each cake.
Liefmans Fruitesse is available from Waitrose, Asda and Tesco at £1.79 a 33cl bottle.