Chocolate Guinness Cake

“With a heady mix of Guinness and chocolate, this __cake is a grown-up treat. Rich and dark, the velvety bitterness of the Guinness brings out the flavour of the chocolate, so it packs a punch, while lending the sponge a subtle tang. The richness is balanced by the sweetness of the sour cream icing, which makes the __cake look like the famous Irish stout – black with a creamy head. Cheers! ”

100 g unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing

75 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

200 ml Guiness , plus extra for the icing

200 g plain flour

20 g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 large free-range eggs

200 g golden caster sugar

SOUR CREAM ICING

3 tablespoons sour cream

200 g icing sugar

Method

1. Cube the butter and chop the chocolate, then place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Allow to melt.
2. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Stir in the Guinness – don’t worry if it seizes or splits, it’ll come back together when mixed with the other ingredients.
4. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease a 23cm cake tin with butter.
5. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for about 3 minutes with an electric mixer until fluffy.
6. Beat half the chocolate mixture into the eggs until combined. Add half the flour, then combine again.
7. Repeat with the remaining flour and chocolate.
8. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. If the top is colouring too much after 30 minutes, cover it with tin foil.
9. Take the cake out of the oven, cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
10. For the icing, beat together the sour cream and icing sugar until smooth, then stir in 2 tablespoons of Guinness. If it becomes too loose, add more icing sugar.
11. Spread over the cooled cake and serve.