Chocolate Guinness Cake

Makes one 23cm cake

For the Cake:

• 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 315g dark soft brown sugar
• 75g cocoa powder
• 300ml Guinness (or stout)
• 260g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 large eggs (preferably free-range or organic)

For the Icing:

• 300ml double cream
• 3 tbsp Guinness (or stout)
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) / 300°F / gas 2. Grease and line a deep 23cm cake tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the Guinness to make a smooth mixture.
4. In a third bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.
5. Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar mixture and beat well.
6. Add half the flour mixture, beat, then add half the cocoa/Guinness mixture and beat again. Repeat with the remaining halves.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour, or until the cake is pulling away from the sides and a skewer comes out mostly clean.
8. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
9. To make the icing, whisk the cream, Guinness, and icing sugar together until soft peaks form.
10. Ice the top of the cooled cake to resemble the ‘cream’ on a pint of Guinness. Store in the fridge due to the fresh cream.