S
Guinness Stout Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients
Drizzling Syrup:
1⁄3 cup Guinness Stout
1⁄3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cake:
2⁄3 cup Guinness Stout
(measured after foam has subsided)
2⁄3 cup currants
1⁄3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons,
unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces semisweet
chocolate, cut into small pieces
¾ cup buttermilk
1¾ cups, plus 2 tablespoons, sugar
2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons, all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
2⁄3 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup red currant jelly, warmed
Bittersweet Icing (See recipe)
1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
1. To prepare syrup, combine all ingredients in a small,heavy saucepan, whisking until smooth. Heat over medium heat, until sugardissolves and syrup is smooth.
2. To prepare cake, pour stout over currants; cover and soak until plump.
3. Drain currants, reserving stout. Add stout to a small saucepan. Whisk in 1⁄3cup cocoa and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; add semisweet chocolate,stirring until chocolate melts. Cool slightly. Stir in buttermilk.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Combine 2 tablespoons cocoa, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons flour.Coat two 8- or 9-inch square or round cake pans with cooking spray; dust withcocoa mixture.
6. Beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 13⁄4 cups sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
7. Combine 2 cups flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flourmixture to butter mixture alternately with chocolate mixture, stirring untilblended. (Batter may look curdled.) Stir in currants.
8. Divide batter between pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden pickinserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes;invert onto rack.
9. Poke tops of cake layers with a skewer or toothpick. Spoon Drizzling Syrupover tops. Place one layer on a platter. Spread warmed jelly over layer on theplatter. Chill 30 minutes. Cover jelly with about a quarter of the BittersweetIcing. Place second layer on top.
10. Ice top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing. Press nuts intosides of cake. Serves 16.
Ingredients
Drizzling Syrup:
1⁄3 cup Guinness Stout
1⁄3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cake:
2⁄3 cup Guinness Stout
(measured after foam has subsided)
2⁄3 cup currants
1⁄3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons,
unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces semisweet
chocolate, cut into small pieces
¾ cup buttermilk
1¾ cups, plus 2 tablespoons, sugar
2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons, all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
2⁄3 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup red currant jelly, warmed
Bittersweet Icing (See recipe)
1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
1. To prepare syrup, combine all ingredients in a small,heavy saucepan, whisking until smooth. Heat over medium heat, until sugardissolves and syrup is smooth.
2. To prepare cake, pour stout over currants; cover and soak until plump.
3. Drain currants, reserving stout. Add stout to a small saucepan. Whisk in 1⁄3cup cocoa and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; add semisweet chocolate,stirring until chocolate melts. Cool slightly. Stir in buttermilk.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Combine 2 tablespoons cocoa, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons flour.Coat two 8- or 9-inch square or round cake pans with cooking spray; dust withcocoa mixture.
6. Beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 13⁄4 cups sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
7. Combine 2 cups flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flourmixture to butter mixture alternately with chocolate mixture, stirring untilblended. (Batter may look curdled.) Stir in currants.
8. Divide batter between pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden pickinserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes;invert onto rack.
9. Poke tops of cake layers with a skewer or toothpick. Spoon Drizzling Syrupover tops. Place one layer on a platter. Spread warmed jelly over layer on theplatter. Chill 30 minutes. Cover jelly with about a quarter of the BittersweetIcing. Place second layer on top.
10. Ice top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing. Press nuts intosides of cake. Serves 16.
