Marie Antoinette's, "Let them Drink Cake!"

My plan was to make a Cherry Chip Cake Ale using a box of Betty Crocker Moist Cake mix. I used a small batch BIAB with the grains, then pulled the bag, replaced it with a new bag, and mashed the cake mix.

I used 2 lbs Pils
2 oz Crystal 120
in one gallon water

Mashed at 148 for 45 min.
At this pint the reflexometer was 11 (1.044)
then I pulled the grain, and added the cake mix in new bag.

Preboil was 15 reflex = approx 1.060

3 grams williamette @60
2.5 grams williamette @ flame out

My hope was then to pull the bag, put the "spent mix" into a cake pan, add egg and bake the cake.
However, at the end of the boil the bag was empty. The cake mix completely dissolved.
No cake.
I chilled, and added package of Notty Yeast.
It began to bobble very quickly, and I was very happy. The smell of cake was everywhere!
But a day and half later, I am becoming concerned. The carboy shows three separate layers. I am afraid the cake is
forming. We'll see...

Have you ever done anything like this before or read about anything like this? Very interesting

Did you happen to take any pH readings before and after you mashed the cake mix? I'd be curious to see how the leavening in the mix affected the mash dynamics. The layer could be dissolved starches that didn't get converted. Also, cake mix usually contains some hydrogenated oils. It's possible they could be separating out, but very weird that it's happening right smack in the middle of your carboy.

SynthesisError said:

Did you happen to take any pH readings before and after you mashed the cake mix?

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No, unfortunately I do not have a ph meter yet. I only took gravity readings after the grain mash and after the cake mash. I forgot to take a gravity reading post boil, prior to pitching the yeast, but I could probably to the math and get a good estimate.

Jmarsh544 said:

Have you ever done anything like this before or read about anything like this? Very interesting

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No, but I've read other's threads about bananas foster, bacon, cereal, caramel, etc. This was just a small batch to see what would happen. I really did think I'd end up with a big dough ball that I could then bake. I thought that picture would be funny.

Its only been fermenting for 8 days but the bottom 1/3-1/2 seemed really thick so I decided to bottle off the 1/2 gallon of liquid on top. It filled a 64oz growler. So, I added 5 carb tablets that I had around. I started to think about what I was doing, and decided to take a refractometer reading (and correct the reading for alcohol presence with morebeer.com's spreadsheet). It came out to 1.033. That seems awfully high, even for a cake mix brew. Since I hadn't been a good brewer by taking three days of readings, I feared I just created a 64oz bottle bomb. So I decided to put a stopper/ airlock on the bottle and use it as a secondary. (BTW the same size stopper for a better bottle works for my flip top growler...good to know). In 10 days or so, I'll take a 3 day series of reading to make sure it is done fermenting.

I'm....

intrigued?
frightened?
thirsty?

The growler still smelled like cherry chip cake. I'll take gravity readings next week and see if its done.

subscribed....

Well, its holding steady at 1.033. Seems high, but I guess that's where its decided to end. I was going to carb the growler, and taste it in a few weeks, but I think I'll bottle into 12oz bottles so I can get about 5 bottles to try as it ages.

The bottles have been moved to chill. I'll share them and the upcoming SoCal Homebrew Fest in Ojai (in two weeks). I'll post the results. I have low expectations.

The most flattering review received was "I guess you *could* finish a pint of this". But no one did.

I would consider actually baking the cake and then mashing that with your grain, that way you gelatinize the starch in the wheat flour so you can get sugar from mashing that as well as the simple sugar in the cake mix.

daksin said:

I would consider actually baking the cake and then mashing that with your grain, that way you gelatinize the starch in the wheat flour so you can get sugar from mashing that as well as the simple sugar in the cake mix.

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That's a good idea. Plus, I could eat a slice of cake! Maybe I'll try that. I'll update this thread if I do. Thanks.

Sweet- let us know how it goes. Also, cake.

if you baked then cake the yeast thats in cake will have died do to the heat after helping it rise so you will not have competing yeasts also

avm221 said:

if you baked then cake the yeast thats in cake will have died do to the heat after helping it rise so you will not have competing yeasts also

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Huh? Pretty sure that cake uses baking powder for leavening, not yeast.

Its a reverse rum cake. Instead of putting the liquid booze into the cake, you are putting the solid cake into the beer to be. Brilliant!

Is that rat from Beakman's world? Labratbrewer?

25518 said:

Is that rat from Beakman's world? Labratbrewer?

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Lester, Yes.