Chocolate Guinness Cake

• Serves: 6
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process) plus additional for dusting
• 1 1 /4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups room-temperature Guinness Stout
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. with rack in the middle.

2. Butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan (2 inches deep).

3. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one and at time, beating well, then beat in vanilla.

5. Add flour mixture and beer alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.

6. Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top, then bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.

7. Cool in a pan on a wire rack 1 hour. Transfer cake to a cake plate.

Caramel Sauce Directions:

1. Heat sugar and water in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is a dark amber.

2. Add whiskey and carefully cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is a dark amber.

3. Add whiskey and carefully ignite with a kitchen match (use caution: whiskey will ignite in a ball of flame). When flame dies out stir in cream and bring to a boil (don't worry if the caramel seizes -- just stir until the sauce is recombined).

4. Boil until liquid is reduced by 1/3, then remove from heat and whisk in butter. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.

Serve cake with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

For Caramel Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup Irish whisky such as Jameson or Bushmills
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Serves: 8
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Ingredients

• Butter
• for greasing pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a bundt pan. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.
2. Pour the Guinness and molasses into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the baking soda. The mixture will rise and foam.
3. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs and two sugars until combined, then the oil. Whisk in a little of the Guinness mixture to temper the eggs, then whisk in the remaining.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well, whisking slowly until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix or the cake will be tough. Pour the batter in the pan and bake until the cake pulls away from the side of the pan, the top starts to crack and a cake tester comes out mostly clean when inserted in the middle, about 30 minutes. Cool cake on a wire rack, covered with a dry kitchen towel to keep it moist. After 30 minutes of cooling, invert onto a cake platter.

How to make the whipped cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Guinness.

Using a whisk, whip the cream until slightly thick. Add the sugar and Guinness and whip until peaks form. Serve each slice of cake with scoops of whipped cream.

• Serves: 8
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tb pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line the spring form pan with buttered parchment paper. The cake batter will be runny and once the cake is baked the middle of the cake will sink ever so slightly.

3. Whisk sour cream, eggs, salt and vanilla in a bowl and set aside.

4. Gently heat Guinness Stout and butter in a medium pan until butter is melted. Pour the rest of the Guinness Stout in a glass and enjoy. My Grandpa was the lucky recipient of this treat.

5. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. Add the sour cream mixture into the Guinness mixture and mix until well combined.

6. Add in flour and baking soda to this mixture.

7. Pour batter into the lined cake pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

8. If your family allows, cool cake on a rack. Serve with cream cheese icing, whipped cream or just a light dusting of confectioners' sugar right before serving.