Chocolate Guinness Cake

My hubby is gone to Ottawa for work this week so I am left to my own devices.  You would think I might be more productive with the house to myself.   But I am not.   I just avoid everything I need to do.  I come from work, get my work out and then curl up in my bed, catch up on my PVR (Personal Video Recorder) and blog. Completely avoiding any house productivity.  I think I can largely blame the PVR for that.   It is a great device but a dangerous device.   How easily can you get trapped, recording everything.  Then what happens... you get interested in more shows, new shows, cooking shows.    Until the warm weather comes back I am allowed to do this.

St. Patrick's Day is coming.  That always means one thing, time to bake with alcohol. It's a bakers rule.   First up...Guinness.  It also happened to be my brother in laws birthday, who likes beer. So I killed two birds with one stone.  Blogging can be so multi-functional.   Sometimes I don't know what I would do with all my baking if I didn't have functions or people to bake for.  You can only indulge in so much yourself.   It's nice to giveaway the goods.

I also just thought of another St. Pat's recipe while I was sitting her typing.  I think I can call that productive.  ;-)

Chocolate Guinness Cake
(Adapted from Nigella Lawson)

INGREDIENTS: 


Cake

• 1 cup Guinness or Stout Beer
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 75g cocoa
• 400g granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 275g unbleached all purpose
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Icing

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp light cream cheese
• 150g icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• Green food paste
• Chocolate shavings

INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Preheat the oven to 350F, spray and line with parchment a 10in springform pan.
2) Pour the Guinness and cubed butter into a  large saucepan, heat until the butter's melted.

3) Whisk in the cocoa and sugar and remove from heat.

4) In a a large bowl, Beat/Whisk together the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the beer butter mixture, and whisk to combine. 

5) Whisk in the flour and baking soda
6) Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack.
7) When the cake is completely cool. place on a flat platter or cake stand and make the icing. 

8) In a large bowl or mixer bowl , whip/beat the cream cheese until smooth, add the icing sugar and beat to combine. Add the cream and a few toothpick drops of food colour and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. 

9) Spread the icing on top using an offset spatula in a light airy way.  Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

This cake is so moist and delicious.  You definitely get the malt beer flavour in the cake, its subtle but nice. The cake has a great balance of sweet and bitter.    As usual all cream cheese icing is the best accompaniment.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEEE-LICOUS!

You might also like these Guinness Chocolate Cookies.