guinness chocolate cake

I remember a few crazy professors from my uni days who used to make bread by mixing bread flour and beer (yep, that’s it, just those two ingredients), coz apparently supermarket bread had too many preservatives and additives.  While that is true, there is a way to make healthy bread. And that is what this recipe reminded me of. Crazy academicians and every crazier uni days.

I loved this cake even before it was baked.  The stout melted butter is deliciously glossy; even more enticing for scatterbrains like me who forget to keep the butter out of the fridge in prep. And because I'm a lifelong chocoholic, I added a little bit of coverture chocolate but that's just me.  You don't have to but if you do, reduce the amount of butter by the quantity of chocolate and dont overkill coz there is cocoa in the recipe already.

This cake is glorious in its moist blackness.  The two major ingredients that make up this cake – chocolate and Guinness – have one thing in common, dark, husky flavour notes.  The sugar transcends the bitterness of the Guinness, yet the tanginess of the stout come bursting through resulting in a rich as old money kinda cake.  If you must, white sugar can be substituted with brown sugar for a less sweeter taste.  But mind you, the bitterness of the stout will be quite obvious.    

Traditionally this cake is not frosted or iced.  But having kids around the house always puts that tub of cream cheese sitting lonely on your fridge shelf to good use.  Besides, having a froth of cream cheese makes this cake all the more enticing, both visually and gastronomically.  In fact, I think this whole cake is bit sinful, so say a little prayer and dive into the damp black magic of this magnificent cake.   

guinness chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

yield: one 9" cake 
adapted from Nigella's recipe

Ingredients

for the cake

• 250 ml Guinness
• 250 g unsalted butter
• 75 g cocoa
• 400 g caster sugar
• 140 ml pot sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
• 275 g plain flour
• 2 1/2teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

for the frosting

• 250 g cream cheese
• 50g butter
• 250 g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

for the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan forced 165°C
2. Grease and line a 9"/23cm spring form cake tin.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa and sugar.
4. In another bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla. 
5. In yet another bowl, sift together plain flour and bicarb of soda.
6. In a large wide saucepan, pour the Guinness, add butter in small quantities and heat on medium flame until the butter's melted.
7. Once melted, whisk in the cocoa and sugar and heat until sugar caramelizes and is mixed thoroughly.
8. Take off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
9. Once cooled, pour the sour cream, eggs and vanilla mixture into the pan and incorporate well.
10. Gently fold in the flour and bicarb of soda until all is thoroughly mixed.
11. Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. 
12. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
13. If you intend to cover this cake with frosting, cool it in the refrigerator for atleast an hour to allow it to firm up so it's easier to cover.

 for the frosting

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk the cream cheese until smooth, add butter and combine well.
2. Sieve over the icing sugar and mix on medium speed until well incorporated.

icing the cake
When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and using a spatula, ice the top of the cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.