Guinness Cake

Guinness Cake
Originally uploaded by d&e.

Wow, my phone is taking really bad photos these days. In any case, I did want to blog part of our meal tonight. Brad grilled great teriyaki salmon steaks and I made sides of mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli (to add a bit of green to our orange meal). For dessert, Ellen and I made a Guinness cake that I first sampled at Sarah & Shannon's house. It was yummmmy (although Sarah's version was better). In case you want to make it, here is the recipe (via Sarah from Nigella Lawson's book):

For the Cake:
1 cup Guinness (or other stout)
1 stick plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (Sarah likes Ghiradelli)
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda


For the Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 inch
springform pan, and line the bottom of the pan with
waxed paper or parchment paper.

Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the
butter in small chunks and heat until the butter is
melted, then whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the
sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, and then pour
into the beer mixture. Then, whisk in the flour and
baking soda.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined pan
and bake for 45 min- 1 hour. Leave to cool completely.

When the cake is cold, sit it on a flat platter or
cake stand and make the frosting. Lightly whip the
cream cheese until smooth, sift over the
confectioners' sugar and then beat them together. This
can also be done in the food processor. Add the heavy
cream and beat until it is a spreadable consistency.
Ice the top of the cake only, so it looks like the
frothy top of a pint of Guinness.