Guinness Chocolate Cake

Here is another great recipe from Clodagh's Irish Kitchen cookbook by Clodagh McKenna. This is one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever tasted. It is rich, dark, and sweet. I was not too sure about putting beer in my cake, but it really adds a beautiful depth to the chocolate. I love the cream cheese frosting in this recipe too! The frosting serves as a nice counterpoint to the cakes dark chocolatey richness. As Clodagh says in her cookbook, "Guinness adds a wonderful richness, making this the perfect Irish cake." I couldn't have said it any better!

Bon Appetit!

Tips:

When frosting your cake you can frost the side (as I did) if you desire.

I like to cool my cake for at least 2 hours before frosting it.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 sticks plus 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups Guinness
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting Ingredients:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups cream cheese (not low-fat)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the bottom of a 12-inch round springform pan with parchment paper. To make the cake, heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Stir in the Guinness, then remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk, and then slowly mix in the Guinness mixture. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a separate large bowl.

Using a handheld electric mixer, slowly mix the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and keep beating until it is all well combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Test to make sure the cake is cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Let cool in the pan, and then transfer from the pan onto a wire rack.

While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Using a handheld electric mixer, blend all the ingredients for the frosting together until light and fluffy. Place the cooled cake on a plate and generously spread the frosting on top. The cake will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.