My Motto

May the muffin rise to greet you, may your friends be always at your door, and until we meet again, warm a single-malt in the palm of your hand and make something homemade for someone you love.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

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.

29 comments:

Iron Chef Shellie said...

yum! I've made this combo before and it was so delicious!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Yes...I was happy to discover it! A new keeper!

justjoycee said...

Yummy! Looks delicious!!!!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Thank you, my friend...it was!

aleahy said...

Can't wait to try this! Guiness is a staple at our house! I have made Guiness cupcakes and they were awsome!

Satrupa said...

The Chocolate Guinness Cake looks divine ....

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

@Alisa - You won't be disappointed. Yesterday I received a recipe for double chocolate Guinness brownies I'm going to try too!

@Satrupa - Thanks!

Anonymous said...

simply beautiful!

Biren @ Roti n Rice said...

Who would have thought that Guinness stout makes such a delicious and tender cake. Will have to give this a try.

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

@Mike - Thank you!

@Biren - You'll like it, It's easy and it was a real treat! My daughter and I agree that the frosting is key though....that cream cheese frosting just goes so good with it!

Food o' del Mundo said...

HA I just made this cake for the fbz luxury dinner party and haven't posted the recipe yet. It was wonderful! Thank you for the visit and the vote today!
~Mary

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

It was my pleasure. I was happy to discover your beautiful blog and amazing recipes! My best wishes to you moving forward in the competition!

Sally Pasley Vargas said...

I love using stout in baking and I am convinced this recipe will not disappoint. Strangely enough, I recently wrote something about the best brownies in the world!! and I just found your blog and this post.... The title of the brownies is definitely facetious, but the brownies have a history, and they are pretty good, if I do say so! Thanks a million for this recipe; it is definitely on my to-do list for my next chocolate emergency.

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Thanks Sally! I just checked out your blog and brownie recipe. I'll try it for sure! Thanks for popping by!

fromBAtoParis said...

Thanks for giving me the chance to discover your blog!
Wow, that cake looks "too much" for me!! Can't wait to make it here one of these days....
I loved your Irish-Cook Blessing!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Thank you Cristina! I hope you get a chance to make it. For a simple cake, it has a pretty presentation!
Thanks for visiting. Good luck with the competition. I'll be following your progress!

Jamie said...

I LOVE that quote! Hysterical! And I have Feast but really haven't gotten around to making anything from it. This is one great cake and I'll bet the flavor is intriguing indeed!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Thanks Jamie,
I think I'll have to pick that cookbook up. I like to cook things that get people excited, and this cake definitely did! Everyone loved it. Thanks for popping by!

Butter said...

Looks delicious and moist. I am trying to cool it for a couple of days due to my attack on some eclairs I recently made....with this in mind, I am not going to last long - thanks alot :)
- Butter

Savoring Italy said...

Omg! This cake looks divine. So happy I popped over to see your blog tonight. See you later on twitter.

Jennifer said...

First that quote at the top of your post is BRILLIANT. 2nd, this cake looks amazing. And I'm glad to hear that the Guinness enhanced the cake. Been considering making some chocolate stout cupcakes but wasn't sure I wanted to try it. You've made me sure.

Verena said...

Margaret, this cake looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing.

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

@Butter - Yes, this is very moist and on the heavy side. Hope you get a chance to make it.
@CakeDuchess - Thanks! Glad you stopped by. Tweet ya later!
@Jennifer - Happy that you liked the quote ツ! I don't think you would be disappointed in Guinness cupcakes. I'm going to try Guinness brownies soon.
@Verena - Thank you!

Reeni said...

This sounds insanely delicious with the stout in it! And the cream cheese frosting sounds perfect with it. I love your motto!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Thanks so much! Yes, it is yummy! Glad you like the motto! Thanks for stopping by!

Anna Johnston said...

Oh dear..., look what you've done. How could I possibly resist this Chocolate Guinness Cake..., (my shopping list is getting awfully long this week) Note to Anna - buy some Guinness ;)

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

I know what you mean. There are so many things I want to make, especially since following the Foodbuzz competition. So much to cook, so little time!

Ms. F said...

Like you, I generally always add a touch of espresso to my chocolate desserts - it adds such depth! My mom uses cinnamon and it has that same effect of quelling the chocolate monster and adding just an extra bit of ... something.

I know you're the Irish Mother but I have another bottle of stout kicking around in the fridge and it's kind of one of those beers you (or at least I) need to be in the mood to imbibe. I'm always up for chocolate though so the is no doubt about to be a compromise!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Go for it! It's a win-win situation! Thanks for popping by!