Guinness Cake

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and grease and line a 23 cm springform tin.

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2. Heat the Guinness and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted. Take off the heat and whisk in the cocoa and sugar.

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3. Whisk the soured cream, eggs and vanilla together and whisk into the chocolate mixture.

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4. Whisk in the flour and bicarbonate until smooth. The batter will be thin.

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5. Pour into the tin and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until risen and a skewer comes out clean.

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6. Cool completely in the tin, about 1 hour, then turn out onto a plate.

   Mark done Start 1 hr timer

7. Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth, then whip in the cream until thick and spreadable.

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8. Cover the top of the cake with the topping, mounding it to look like the head on a pint.

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Chef’s Tips

• Do not worry that the batter is thin. It bakes into a moist, tender cake.
• Cool the cake completely before the topping goes on.
• Use full-fat cream cheese. Low-fat is too soft to hold its shape.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cup of tea
• A pint of Guinness
• Vanilla ice cream

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days and bring to room temperature. Freeze un-iced for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.