Guinness Chocolate Cake

Makes 12 servings

Kitchen equipment:

• 9-inch round or square pan
• Parchment paper
• Large saucepan
• Whisk
• Measuring cup, measuring spoons
• Sieve or flour sifter
• Toothpick(s)

Ingredients:

• 1 12-oz bottle Guinness Stout
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• ½ cup light sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups cake flour   (or  1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour + ¼ cup cornstarch)*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round or square cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder.

3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the Guinness and butter just until the butter melts.

4. Remove from heat. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa.

5. Whisk in the sour cream, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the sifted flour ingredients, just until blended.

6. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre come out clean.

7. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out carefully and cool, right side up, on a wire rack. Do not cut the cake until completely cooled. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Adapted from Real Irish Food, by David Bowers (2012)

*  If you don’t have cake flour on hand (and really, who ever does?) you can make a reasonable substitute by measuring out 1¾ cups of all-purpose flour, and adding a ¼ cup of cornstarch. Sift together several times (you can add the baking powder and baking soda at this point too, and sift everything together). See Joy the Baker’s instructions for making cake flour at http://joythebaker.com/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/