When we visited our friends Ken and Walt in St-Aignan in early July I decided I would bake them a cake. I gave it lots of thought and opted for a chocolate Guinness cake baked to Nigella Lawson’s recipe.
I first made this cake at least six years ago, for Nick to take to a charity cake stall at work. It was incredibly popular. After the first time where it sold for £1 a slice, people requested it, no, demanded it, and the price went up to £1.50 !! So it’s a really good seller for charity.
It’s incredibly easy to make. You basically whisk all the ingredients together in the saucepan in which you melt the butter with the Guinness. It takes a long time to bake and many times I have been unsure if it was cooked or not and been tempted to give it a few more minutes. But Nigella advises that it is meant to be a damp cake so I have stuck to her timings and it has always turned out fine.
In France I couldn't find soured cream but my food dictionary told me that crème fraîche was the same thing.
It often sinks in the middle and may crack on the top. Neither really matters as the topping fills in any unevenness perfectly.
A friend who makes it regularly for her family told me that not only does it freeze very well, it also freezes well with the topping on. She also makes only half the quantity of the topping as she finds it too sweet. It is indeed very sweet so I split the difference and made two thirds – it was perfect.
One I made earlier, with full quantity of topping.
You can find the recipe on Nigella’s website here. I also once successfully adapted the recipe to make it into cupcakes – they looked gorgeous and were yummy too.
If you haven’t tried it yet I would strongly recommend this stunning cake for a charity cake stall or a special occasion. It’s not cheap to make but it cuts into about 16 slices and is always well received. The flavour of the Guinness does not come through as such but it makes the cake not too sweet and makes it look fabulously dark. The topping adds just the right amount of sweetness.
You can see my updated post and the recipe I now use here:
https://bakinginfranglais.blogspot.com/2023/01/chocolate-guinness-cake.html
Your food dictionary is technically wrong, but probably near enough for jazz. Sour cream has a much lower fat content (20% fat), and often thickeners and added acids in addition to the lactic bacteria. Creme fraiche just has lactic bacteria and min 30% fat.
ReplyDeleteI wondered what the difference was. It seemed to work anyway and I couldn't see anything in the French shops that looked more like sour cream.
DeleteA good substitute is fromage a tartiner (cream cheese).
DeleteWow, no wonder this disappears so fast. I'm very impressed you've made it so many times. I've only had a slice of Nigella's version once and it was delicious. I've made something very similar which was good, but I really ought to try this one.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely try it !! I have seen other recipes for chocolate Guinness cake but have never felt the need to try them - this one is so easy and so good.
DeleteIt's funny, because I cannot stand drinking beer/stout/guinness etc but love them in baking - guinness chocolate cake is the best - so rich and decadent.
ReplyDeleteLove the look of your cake and the bottle top decoration!
CC, thanks, it tastes as good as it looks, if not better.
DeleteLovely cake - I'd be so keen that I'd probably try to eat the bottle top.
ReplyDeletePhil, me too, but the other people always got there first !!
DeleteThis is one of my favourite recipes and a popular request from friends and family. Once I made 4 of these in the space of a week!! I've only ever tried Nigella's recipe so it's not a comparison but I'm sure it's the best!
ReplyDeleteMe too, I can't see the need to try an alternative. I once made three in one evening for various cake stalls - two for Nick to take to his work and one for me to take to mine for "Children in need". One of Nick's disappeared for the princely sum of £25 as soon as the lid came off the box - one of the cleaning ladies bought it for her and her mates !!
DeleteMind you, I did see a recipe for gingerbread Guinness cupcakes in the book "Tea with Bea" which I am dying to try one day !!
I love the bottle top decoration - very good! The cup cakes look wonderful. Makes you want to take to the drink!
ReplyDeleteI used to drink Guinness quite often but nowadays I find the flavour too powerful - must have become a bit of a softie having drunk all that French wine !!
DeleteLooks so good! I would love to try them. I love chocolate and I love Guinness. Never thought to put the two together though!
ReplyDeleteSpencer, you owe it to yourself to bake this cake - or persuade a friend to do it for you !!
Deleteand I have NEVER made one!... which I must rectify immediately! yours looks stunning!
ReplyDeleteDom, I guarantee you will not regret it !!
Deletesimply wonderful. Looks very very nice this cake!
ReplyDeleteI love chocolate guinness cake! It's one of my favourite Nigella recipes, and yours, especially the cupcakes look lovely :-) x
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS! And, I doubt there were be any left for a nocturnal fridge raid in my house! LOL! THANKS for your lovely Forever Nigella Entry! Karen
ReplyDelete