Guiness Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanks to Arielle for the mysterious introduction and serious pressure to actually publish today. Here goes for nothing for my inaugural blog post:

Saturday night was my beer geek boyfriend's 31st birthday party, and also an early St. Patrick's Day celebration for those of us who can no longer spend twelve hours drinking on a Thursday. For the occasion I found a recipe that combined both of our great loves - beer and chocolate.

Guiness Chocolate Cake
Adapted from BonAppetit.com
Makes one two layer nine inch cake



For the cake:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup stout
2/3 cup freshly brewed coffee, room temperature





For the cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Cake Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter and flour two nine-inch cake pans lined with parchment paper
3. Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each
7. Add the stout, then the coffee. (Batter gets liquid-y at this point, don't worry)
8. Add the flour in three portions; beat until smooth and creamy
9. Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans
10. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
11. Leave the cake in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool. Remove the parchment rounds.
12. Trim the domes off the cake layers once entirely cool. Use a serrated knife.

Frosting Directions:
1. Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl
2. Beat to soften the cream cheese
3. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth
4. Sift in confectioners sugar, continue beating until smooth
5. Add vanilla, stir to combine
6. Make sure the frosting is at room temperature, and cakes are cooled, then frost your cake.

I asked Martha for some tips on frosting, and then got to it.




My comments on the recipe:



1. Don't skip the parchment paper. Even if you don't keep 9" circles of parchment paper stocked in your kitchen (I mean, who doesn't do that?) then trace the 9" bottom of the pan on to a regular sheet of parchment paper and cut it out.


2. Have fun with the stout. I used regular ole Guiness because I didn't want to waste a delicious, expensive beer on a cake that I wasn't sure would even taste like beer. Guess what...it tastes like beer! So go for the good stuff. Next time I will use Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout.


3. Warn fellow eaters THIS CAKE HAS BEER IN IT. Because otherwise they will think you seriously messed up your chocolate cake.


4. If cream cheese frosting is not your thing, chocolate ganache would be yummy too. Or add some Bailey's to the cream cheese.

5. I tripled the frosting recipe because I wanted to have enough to do a beautiful frosting job. This left me with a tupperware full of leftovers, but I didn't hear any complaints from guests who dug in with a spoon. Doubling the recipe will yield plenty.

Eat, drink and be merry...Happy St. Patty's!


Elizabeth