This cake was delicious! As other reviewers will comment, it produces a lot of batter and would just as easily be cut in half. I made the full batch and got 12 cupcakes and (2) 9" cakes out of the batter.
I used the tip Merlyn passed along and added 1 tablespoon of Medaglia D'Oro espresso powder to bump up the chcolate flavor.
And I used Droste dutch processed cocoa powder. (It produced a dark and lovely cake.)
One tip: Taste your stout first. I've done a cake with Guiness before but in general, I find the Guiness taste weak in comparison to other stouts. For this cake, I bought 2 different kinds to try. I actually ended up using Rogue Mocha Porter. While the mocha flavor isn't very prominent, it did have a heartier flavor than the Guiness or the other kind I bought (Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout - Blech! It had a weak insipid flavor with a fake chocolate taste)
The cake itself is light, moist and delicious. I've been munching on the unfrosted cupcakes...wonder how many I'll have left when I finally frost them??? LOL!
Anyway, I'm very happy with this cake.
CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE
"I am a lifelong chocoholic and have eaten many a piece of chocolate cake," writes Elizabeth Means of Williamsburg, Massachusetts. "Never before, though, have I enjoyed anything as much as the chocolate stout cake at the Barrington Brewery in nearby Great Barrington. If I could get a copy of this recipe, I would be eternally grateful."
The dark beer known as stout gives this cake an intense, not-too-sweet flavor.
Cake
2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
Icing
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
Makes 12 servings.
Bon Appétit
R.S.V.P.
September 2002
Barrington Brewery, Great Barrington, MA
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107105
I used the tip Merlyn passed along and added 1 tablespoon of Medaglia D'Oro espresso powder to bump up the chcolate flavor.
And I used Droste dutch processed cocoa powder. (It produced a dark and lovely cake.)
One tip: Taste your stout first. I've done a cake with Guiness before but in general, I find the Guiness taste weak in comparison to other stouts. For this cake, I bought 2 different kinds to try. I actually ended up using Rogue Mocha Porter. While the mocha flavor isn't very prominent, it did have a heartier flavor than the Guiness or the other kind I bought (Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout - Blech! It had a weak insipid flavor with a fake chocolate taste)
The cake itself is light, moist and delicious. I've been munching on the unfrosted cupcakes...wonder how many I'll have left when I finally frost them??? LOL!
Anyway, I'm very happy with this cake.
CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE
"I am a lifelong chocoholic and have eaten many a piece of chocolate cake," writes Elizabeth Means of Williamsburg, Massachusetts. "Never before, though, have I enjoyed anything as much as the chocolate stout cake at the Barrington Brewery in nearby Great Barrington. If I could get a copy of this recipe, I would be eternally grateful."
The dark beer known as stout gives this cake an intense, not-too-sweet flavor.
Cake
2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
Icing
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
Makes 12 servings.
Bon Appétit
R.S.V.P.
September 2002
Barrington Brewery, Great Barrington, MA
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107105