This post is due to popular request. I made it a few days ago and placed a picture on Instagram and within minutes was flooded by requests for the recipe, which I promised to put up as soon as possible. For full disclosure, this is not a recipe that I created but one I found in a Food & Home Entertaining magazine. The thought of Guinness, an Irish dry Stout, a beer, in a cake fascinated me. This beer is beautiful to look at. It’s black as night with some ruby red colors if you hold it up to the light. It smells like some dark roast coffee and maybe a bit of hops and it’s got a dark chocolate and coffee bean taste to it. So, it sounded like a good match to put it in a cake, don’t you agree? And, I can say without the slightest doubt that it was a perfect marriage. The Guinness makes the cake so deliciously moist.
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients:
cake batter:
230 g / 1 cup butter, softened
175 g / 6 oz brown sugar
175 g / 6 oz demerara sugar
4 eggs
100 g / 3 1/2 oz cocoa powder, unsweetened
380 ml / 13 fluid oz Guinness
230 g / 8 1/2 oz cake flour / self raising flour
Pinch salt
10 ml / 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2,5 ml / 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
chocolate ganache icing:
200 ml / 6 1/2 oz heavy cream
Pinch salt
5 ml / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400 g / 14 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 360 F
Grease two 22 cm round cake tins
Cream the butter and sugars together using a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating continuously
In another bowl, combine the cocoa powder and Guinness
Combine the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in a large bowl
Add the egg and sugar mixture
Add the cocoa mixture and blend with a rubber spatula
Divide the batter between the two cake pans
Bake for 30 minutes
Allow to cool completely
For the icing:
Place the cream, salt and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil
Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate to the pan
Stir until smooth and shiny
Use about half the ganache to sandwich the two layers together
Use the remaining ganache to spread over the top of the cake
Enjoy!
chefjulianna said:
Wow! This cake sounds to die for! I have used Guiness for savoury stews and it makes the flavours so deep and rich! I can only imagine what it would do for this cake! I am bookmarking your recipe! Yum! 😀
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cindy knoke said:
I would like two please!
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Nadia said:
Me too, I am making it again today to give to a French neighbour who thought it was the best chocolate cake ever. Might add a few cherries to be different.
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Nadia said:
It was a first for me too but definitely not the last. It gave the cake a delicious moist, coffee, chocolate taste, even though there is no coffee.
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weebluemixer said:
I love Guinness cake and my go to recipe is usually Nigella’s, but good to see another perspective on a great cake.
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Nadia said:
Thanks. I will have to try hers sometime.
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Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward said:
Popular request is right. Beautiful pastry and great, balanced flavors. 🙂
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Nadia said:
Thanks. The flavours were unexpected yet delicious. I had never used Guinness in baking before.
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Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward said:
It’s quite rich and dark with nice chocolate tones, great for some pasty. 🙂
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Nadia said:
How right you are.
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lynne hoareau said:
Okay, you have my attention !!! Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake it is !!! My husband is going to love me !!!
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Nadia said:
Mine did too!
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jppreaux said:
Not far from a 4/4 with Guinness…
Nice and good cake easy done
Thanks
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Nadia said:
You are quite right there. Thanks for stopping by.
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camparigirl said:
I made Guinness cake day and day out when I worked full time in the pastry kitchen, to the point of nausea. But it was oh so good!
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Nadia said:
Interesting. I had never heard of it before. Going to try brownies today.
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