Chocolate Guinness Cake

An Irishman is the only man in the world who will step over the bodies of a dozen naked women to get to a bottle of stout. ~ Unknown

A few days ago, I cast a net out on Twitter, seeking "the best brownies in the world."  Consequently, I received a tip from @fstop23 to find the post from @OakMonster for the this cake (she blogs at http://tinyurl.com/3de65d).  It is from Nigella Lawson's cookbook Feast. 

Hurriedly I ran out to get me some Guinness Stout!  I figured a recipe that came so highly recommended  was worth a shot.  Besides, the box mix brownies I made to try to quell the chocolate monster were not cutting it (although the raw batter wasn't bad). 

This cake was incredibly easy.  Practically a one pot deal.  No butter to soften.  No layers to juggle.  The finished product smells divine and is like a cross between cake, brownie and gingerbread.  You might wonder what beer does to cake if you've never had Stout Cake.  Guinness Stout is dark in color and has a "toast" or "coffee" flavor.  Some of my best chocolate dessert recipes include coffee or espresso as it enhances the richness of chocolate and tweaks it up a note.  This cake has a dense and moist crumb and tastes so good with the cream cheese frosting. Don't let the Guinness scare you, it makes for good cake.  Once it came out of the oven, I could hardly keep them away from it long enough to frost it!

Chocolate Guinness Cake

1 cup Guinness stout (not the whole can or bottle)
1 stick butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Icing
8 ounce cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
½ cup heavy cream (I only used 1/4 cup)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan (I used a tube pan with cake insert) and line bottom with parchment paper.

Trace pan on parchment paper, then cut out.

Pour Guinness into a large saucepan, add butter and heat until melted.

 Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla and then pour into brown, buttery, beery mixture and finally whisk in flour and baking soda.

Pour cake batter into greased and line pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (Check at 45 minutes for doneness, poking a skewer in center.). Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When cake is cold, gently peel off parchment paper and transfer to a platter or cake stand.

Place cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric beater, until smooth (You may also do this with a food processor.).

Add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency.

Ice top of cake, starting at middle and fanning out, so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.