Chocolate Guinness Cake

This is one of my very very favourite cakes.

This is my very favourite chocolate cake.

And yes, it is as good as it sounds. This delightful cake, adapted from a Hummingbird Bakery recipe, isn’t hard to make, and is a great treat if you are feeling indulgent!  This cake is delightfully dark and moist, and is incredibly moreish. A great addition to any party, BBQ or birthday, and looks great dusted lightly in cocoa powder.

You will need:

  • 250ml Guinness
  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 100g cocoa powder
  • 400g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla essence
  • 150ml buttermilk
  • 280g plain flour
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder

For the frosting:

  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 125g cream cheese
  • Cocoa powder for dusting

Here’s what you do…

  1. Preheat your oven to 170°c (gas mark 3 or 325°F), and get out your two packets of butter. You will want the butter for the frosting to be soft when you come to make it.
  2. Get your apron on and your playlist going. This cake deserves something to sing along to. I suggest a bit of Shirley Bassey, but it’s your call. :)
  3. Grease a cake tin (moderate size, either square or round) with butter or vegetable oil. Place a circle/square of greaseproof paper in the bottom and grease.
  4. Measure our your Guinness and pour into a saucepan (and feel free to our the rest into a glass and down it – no one is judging you). Chop up the butter and add it to the Guinness, then warm gently until the butter melts.
  5. When it is completely melted, take it off the heat and add the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk briskly to ensure there are no lumps – cocoa powder has a sneaky habit of clumping unless you whip it into submission.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk by hand. Pour milky mix into the chocolately mixture and beat until smooth.
  7. Then sift the flour, bicarb and baking powder into the batter, and whisk with an electric whisk. You can use a standing mixer or a handheld mixer for this, but make sure you scrape down the sides for any stray flour. You want it to be thoroughly mixed before cooking.
  8. Once you are satisfied it’s smooth, pour into your greased cake tin. This cake can take up to 90 mins to cook, but it depends on both your oven and your cake tin. I suggest checking on it after 45 mins, then checking on it at 10 minute intervals. Stick a skewer into the middle to check this – if it comes out clean, it’s cooked. If it’s a bit chocolatey, leave it in for a bit longer.
  9. Once it is cooked, whip it out of the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. After 5 mins, tip upside down and carefully release the cake. You might want to bash the base of the tin a couple of times for good measure. It should come out fairly easily.
  10. Leave to cool for AT LEAST 4 hours. It must be completely cold when you come to frost it.
  11. While it’s cooling, make the frosting. Pop the butter into a bowl with the icing sugar, and mix on low speed until it is combined. It will be sandy in consistency. I suggest using a tea towel to cover the edge of the bowl because icing sugar has a slight tendency to go EVERYWHERE. You have been warned.
  12. Once combined, add the cream cheese to the mix and mix on a medium speed for at least 5 minutes. It should be light and fluffy. If you aren’t satisfied, you can always add a bit more icing sugar. It’s a pretty flexible frosting – you can’t really go wrong.
  13. When the cake is cold, frost away. When you are happy it is nice and neat, use a tea strainer or a sieve to decorate lightly with cocoa powder.
  14. Present to your guests/friends/relatives and wait for the oohs and ahhs to begin!

 

Enjoy!

 

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