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IMG_7028

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.

IMG_7030Serves 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!