For Guinness' Sake!

 

The luck of the Irish sure seemed to be with me when I happened upon Nigella Lawson’s gorgeous Chocolate Guinness Cake: I already had most of the ingredients on hand (including a leftover can of Guinness from the Guinness Beef Stew with Horseradish Cream I’d made). Just thinking of an icing that should “resemble a frothy pint of Guinness” sent me into the kitchen to start baking. This cake a stunner for sure. My suggestions to lighten things up a bit are in italics.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everybody!

Chocolate Guinness Cake
By Nigella Lawson

Yield: One 9-inch cake or 12 servings

Ingredients
For the Cake:
Butter, for the pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
¾ cup sour cream (I used Breakstone Light Sour Cream)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking soda

For the Topping:
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (Neufchâtel has a lower fat content)
½ cup heavy cream (try a few tablespoons of condensed skim milk)

Preparation
Step 1
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.

Step 2
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 1 hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

Step 3
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.

Step 4
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.