Chocolate Guiness Cake

By EdieK

Believe it or not, beer does amazing things for cake. Its a bit of work, but worth it.

Ingredients

• CAKE
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Guinness beer
• ICING
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup beer (or milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Generous pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups beer nuts, chopped

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil or spray two 8-inch round cake pans. Sift flour with cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir to mix. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar for 3 min. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after additions. Beat in vanilla. Using a wooden spoon , stir about one third of flour mixture into butter mixture. Add half the beer. Repeat additions, ending with flour. Stir just until evenly mixed. Pour batter into pans and smooth top.

Bake in centre of oven until a cake tester inserted in centre of cake comes out clean, 25 to 28 min. Cool in pans on a rack for 10 min. Run a knife around inside edge of each pan, then turn cakes out onto a rack. Cool completely.

For icing, sift icing sugar with cocoa into a bowl. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy, 2 -3 min. Gradually beat half the the icing sugar mixture into the butter, scraping down the sides as needed. The mixture will be dry at this point. Gradually beat in beer or milk, vanilla and salt, then remaining icing sugar mixture.

To frost cake, place 1 cake, top side down, on a cake plate. Spread one third of the icing over top. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the nuts. Place remaining cake on top, domed side up. Gently press down. Spread the top and sides with icing. Garnish with remaining nuts. Cake will keep, well covered, at room temperature.