With St. Patrick's Day recently passed, you might have a few bottles of Guinness around. As the saying goes, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. So when life hands you Guinness, you should absolutely drink the stout -- but be sure to set aside a bottle to make this cake.
This recipe yields one hefty cake, or 12 individual mini cakes. It's moist, tender and lusciously dark. The stout disappears into the background of this rich cake, while grounding it in an adult sort of way, cutting the sweetness and mingling with the slightly bitter chocolate. If you're feeling especially indulgent (and lucky), serve it with a dollop of whiskey-laced whipped cream.
Chocolate Stout Pound Cake
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Yield: makes 1 large Bundt cake (or 12 mini Bundt cakes)
Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup stout beer, such as Guinness
12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
Whiskey Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10- to 12-cup Bundt cake pan and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. If using mini Bundt pans, butter the pans.
Heat the butter and stout in a medium saucepan over medium until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the dark chocolate and stir until smooth.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Whisk the eggs and brown sugar until light. Whisk in the sour cream and add to the chocolate. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine without overmixing.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan or mini Bundt pans. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the cake is set and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for a large cake or 25 minutes for mini cakes. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely.
Before serving, make the Whiskey Cream. Beat the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer until traces of the whisk are visible. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Cut the cake into serving pieces and serve with the whipped cream.
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