Guinness Chocolate Cake
Guinness in a cake? Yes, this Guinness chocolate cake is perfect for any celebration and has become a favourite choice for birthdays in our extended family around the world. The inspiration for this recipe is from one by Nigella Lawson. Instead of a white icing, there is now a luxurious chocolate ganache topping, along with options for gluten free, no added sugar, and long soaking of the cake mixture for easier digestion and even better flavour. I hope you enjoy this superb cake as much as we do!
This recipe is suitable for Thermomix TM5 and TM31.
ACTIVE TIME 20 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME 1½ HOURS
SERVES 12-16 SLICES
Cake Ingredients
- 250 g unsalted butter, cut in pieces, plus 1 tsp for greasing
- 400 g granulated sugar, unrefined/raw (or 300 g pitted dates plus 50 g honey)
- 250 g Guinness or stout or GF beer
- 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder, minimum 20% cocoa butter content
- 280 g plain (all purpose) flour or GF flour blend, e.g. Doves Farm or Bob’s Red Mill – see tips
- 140 g crème frâiche, sour cream or Greek yoghurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2½ level tsp soda bicarbonate (baking soda)
Cake Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C without fan/350°F/gas 4; butter a round 23 cm diameter springform cake tin and line base with greaseproof paper.
- Grind sugar if using, to caster (fine) sugar 5 sec/speed 10, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat Guinness and remaining 250 g butter 3 min/80°C/speed 1.
- Add cocoa powder, flour, reserved ground sugar (or dates and honey), crème frâiche, eggs and vanilla, mix 20 sec/speed 6.
- Place soda bicarbonate in a small sieve and sprinkle soda over cake batter, using a spoon to press all the soda bicarbonate through the sieve. Mix 20 sec/speed 6, scrape down sides of TM bowl with spatula and repeat, then transfer to prepared cake tin and spread out evenly. Bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean (Aga ovens: bake 1-1½ hours in middle of preheated baking oven). Allow cake to cool completely in cake tin on a wire rack.
Chocolate Ganache Ingredients
- 150 g double cream or 120 g whipping cream
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 150 g dark chocolate 50-60% cocoa solids content, chips or small ½ cm pieces
- 15 g unsalted butter
Chocolate Ganache Method
- Heat cream, vanilla and chocolate 3 min/50°C/speed 3.
- Scrape down sides of TM bowl with spatula, add butter and mix 3 min/speed 3 or until ganache is completely melted and smooth.
- Transfer cake from tin to a serving plate, pour ganache onto cake and use a palette knife to smooth ganache over the edges so it drips down the sides. Serve within 3-4 hours while ganache is still soft enough to cut easily.
Janie’s Tips
- For gluten free, use GF flour and GF beer.
- GF flour blends (which may be called GF baking flour) are available from most supermarkets and online.
- For improved digestion and great flavour you can soak the flour in the cake batter overnight (minimum 6 hours). At the end of step 4, cover TM bowl and allow the batter to soak and slightly ferment. It’s worth planning ahead – mix batter steps 1-4 in the evening or first thing in the morning, leave to soak, finish cake then serve for an indulgent afternoon tea with friends or as a glorious glossy dessert after dinner.
- My sister-in-law bakes this cake in a 22×32 cm (9”x13”) cake tin and leaves it in the tin when adding the ganache, then she serves it straight from the tin!