I was invited to an Oktoberfest party last week and knew I wanted to make dessert. Dessert that WASN'T apple strudel. So I hit up my good friend Google (we're tight).
Anyhoo, Google recommended this recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake with Chocolate Ganache from Epicurious and I was like, oh yeah!
Google neglected to tell me that stout is usually considered Irish, thus NOT Oktoberfest, so I did get heckled a bit. But once my friends tasted the cake, they zipped it for the rest of the night.
I'm not gonna lie, this is one of the best fudgy chocolate cake recipes I've ever made. It was excellent.
Okay, so it might have 2 cups of Guinness in it...is that why I like it so much? Am I drunk???
Chocolate Stout Cake
Ingredients:
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
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. (I cooled it for about an hour then whipped it in my mixer to make a fluffier frosting...It. Rocked.)
After all this mixing and stirring and measuring, you might just look over to see this:
I have eaten the leftovers of this cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 3 days. I might now be a fat alcoholic, but it was worth it. Still moist and yummy 3 days later! Try it, your husband will be so impressed you can cook something so delicious with beer!
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