CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

My round-up of favourite cakes would not be complete without including my all time favourite, the chocolate Guinness cake by Nigella Lawson from her book "Feast", first published in 2004.

It always goes down well at special occasions and I have made it dozens of times over the decades.  I have adapted it slightly since the first time and, because recipes on websites have a nasty habit of disappearing, (or linking to something else) here is the recipe that I now use.  At the time of writing, the original can be seen on Nigella's website here.  

It's a very "grown up" kind of chocolate cake, not the sort of children's birthday parties and, because the topping is quite sweet, I now make about half the quantity of the amount in Nigella's original recipe.

Ingredients

For the cake

250 ml Guinness (original)

250g butter, cubed

75g cocoa powder

400g caster sugar (golden or white)

142ml pot soured cream (or 150ml full fat crème fraîche)

2 large eggs

1 tblsp vanilla extract

275g plain flour

2½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the topping

150g full fat cream cheese

75g icing sugar

60ml double or whipping cream

Method

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4.  Butter and line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin.

Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan, add the butter and heat gently until the butter has melted.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk in.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, soured cream and vanilla.  Pour into the pan and whisk in.

Add the flour and bicarb and whisk in until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45-60 minutes until done.  The centre should still seem damp and it may well crack and dip slightly in the middle.

Cool in the tin.

For the topping

Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth and sift in the icing sugar.  Beat together then add the cream.  Beat again until you get a spreadable consistency.

Alternatively, use a food processor, blitzing the icing sugar first to remove any lumps, then adding the cream cheese and process again.  Finally add the cream and process again.

When the cake is completely cool, remove from the tin, remove the paper and place it on your serving plate.  Swirl the topping over.

Cuts into 12-15 slices.

Leftover cake should be kept in the fridge because of the topping. 

The cake freezes well, with or without the topping.