Chocolate guinness cake

Chocolate Guinness Cake

I can tell St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner because when I popped into McDonald’s for that addicting sweet tea, I noticed my all-time Mickey D’s favorite, the shamrock shake, has returned.  Though I haven’t treated myself to that just yet, you can bet I’ll consume a few before they disappear from the menu for another year.  And while I’m not even the tiniest bit Irish, it seems like a good time to try a Guinness recipe, doesn’t it?

I picked up my first Guinness beer while shopping with my sister and my mom last weekend.  See, if you live in PA, you can’t just grab a 6-pack while you’re grocery shopping.  You have to stop at a beer distributor for a whole case, and I definitely didn’t need a case of Guinness to try a few recipes.  My sisters are so close to NY state that they do much of their grocery shopping there, and lo and behold, to my surprise, you can buy a 6-pack while you’re filling your cart at the local superstore.  I was a little giddy, because I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for ages, so I grabbed some Guinness right quick and off we went.

Most of this cake disappeared before the day was even over.  When you’ve got kids and those kids have friends, chocolate cake doesn’t stick around very long.  My only issue with it was that the middle sank and the edges seemed overbaked.  Definitely didn’t look like Nigella’s did, but it tasted good anyway.  Of course, when you’ve got that big pile of yummy cream cheese frosting on top, just about anything would taste good, don’t ya think?

{two years ago:  cauliflower cashew salad}

Recipe:  Chocolate Guinness Cake

(from Feast by Nigella Lawson, found at the kitchn)

For the cake:
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar  (Nigella says you can also use regular granulated sugar instead.)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the topping:
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners’ sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.