Chocolate Guinness Cake for St. Patrick's Day

1938 Guinness Poster

For St. Patrick's Day every year, I post a lot of Guinness recipes. No big surprise because when I think of Ireland, I think shamrocks and leprechauns...and Guinness. Guinness Beer was founded in 1759 when Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 (!) year lease on a brewery in Dublin. That brewery is still the center of Guinness operations, and all the Guinness sold in the UK, Ireland and North America is brewed there! FYI for those of you in the U.K., Guinness is served chilled in Ireland and the bottles read "Serve Extra Cold."

St. Patrick's Day calls for a Chocolate Guinness Cake! My all time favorite Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe is from a recipe in the New York Times (12/8/04). There are several recipes I like, including an "Easy" Chocolate Guinness Cake made from a cakemix--and a whole bottle of Guinness. The final one on today's post is from Chef Brian Leth of Vinegar Hill House and appeared in People Magazine last year (see below). My friend Loanne Heavey Slapar swears by it.It's pretty similar to the one from the NYT, but I'll bet it all comes down to the cocoa used.. and a bit of technique.

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

Recipe from NYT (see above)

Ingredients

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons sweet butter
3/8 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/8 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Madagascar vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
In large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar. Whisk to blend.
In  small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on wire rack and cool completely in pan.
Remove cake from pan and place on platter or cake stand.
Ice the top with cream cheese icing..

The NYT recipe uses a white cream cheese icing. If you use a white cream cheese icing, you can ice the top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness. If you use chocolate, well.... you'll be eating more chocolate!

Don't have the time or inclination to make a cake from scratch? This Chocolate Guinness Cake is even easier and calls for more Guinness!!! This recipe is from Canela and Comino.  Don't worry about the taste or smell of the Guinness because you're using the whole bottle. You'll only have a tang from the Guinness and no yeasty smell, just great chocolate aroma!

EASY CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

Ingredients

1 box of dark chocolate cake mix (one with pudding in the mix)
1 bottle of Guinness Stout
1/2 cup of Canola oil
3 eggs
4 oz. Bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine cake mix, Stout, oil, and eggs in mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed just until combined. Add bittersweet chocolate and gently stir in. Divide between two 8” cake pans, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when stuck in middle.
Remove from oven and cool in pans for about 15 minutes, then transfer to  cooling rack. Once cooled, frost with a rich Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.  (see recipe above or use canned)

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

From People Magazine/Vinegar Hill House: