Guinness, brown sugar and chocolate cake

This is a luxuriously rich chocolate cake made with a splash of Guinness, featuring an easy buttercream filling (also starring the stout), and topped with a sweet-sharp sour-cream chocolate icing.

Requires cooling time

Overview

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Serves

8

Ingredients

For the cake

• 225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

• 225g soft dark-brown sugar

• 275g self-raising flour, sifted

For the buttercream filling

• 75g unsalted butter, slightly softened

• 75g soft dark-brown sugar

• 2 tbsp Guinness, or a little more to taste

For the sour cream icing

• 150g good-quality plain chocolate, broken into small pieces

• 4 tbsp soft dark-brown sugar

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

Step 2

Grease two 20cm- or 23cm-diameter cake tins and set aside.

Step 3

Cream together 225g softened unsalted butter and 225g soft dark-brown sugar until fluffy. Beat well to break down the brown sugar.

Step 4

Mix in 4 large beaten eggs a little at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a little of the flour, a tablespoon at a time. Don’t worry if this does happen – the cake will be fine.

Step 5

Fold in the rest of the 275g sifted self-raising flour along with 4 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder and a good pinch of salt, pouring in 125ml Guinness at the same time. Don’t overbeat or you’ll knock out the air.

Step 6

Spoon the mixture into the tins and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cakes are coming away from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Step 7

To make the buttercream, beat 75g slightly softened unsalted butter with 75g icing sugar and 75g soft dark-brown sugar until fluffy. Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 2 tbsp Guinness (or a little more to taste) and beat again.

Step 8

For the icing, melt 150g good-quality plain chocolate (broken into small pieces) with 75ml sour cream, 75ml double cream and 4 tbsp soft-dark brown sugar in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir, take off the heat and leave to cool and thicken.

Step 9

Spread buttercream icing on one of the cakes, place the other cake on top and spread on sour-cream icing with a palette knife.

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