Recipe: Stout and Chocolate Snacking Cake with Chocolate-Stout Glaze

the appetizer:

Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats by Lauren Chattman, includes recipes like Red Grape, Polenta, and Olive Oil Cake; Stout and Chocolate Snacking Cake with Chocolate-Stout Glaze; and Cranberry-Walnut Bundt Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze; as well as information on Bundt Pans.

Stout and Chocolate Snacking Cake
with Chocolate-Stout Glaze

Serves 9

Beer connoisseurs will immediately recognize the distinctive flavor of stout in this luscious cake and frosting, but people not familiar with the dark brew will just wonder how you coaxed so much rich and interesting flavor from your cocoa powder. Don't skip the glaze. It is appealingly glossy, and its bittersweet snap adds a lot to the dessert.

For the Cake

1/2 cup stout, such as Guinness
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sour cream

For the Chocolate Stout Glaze

1/4 cup stout
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Make the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra.

2. Combine the stout and butter in a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon or electric mixer, stir in the stout mixture, egg, and sour cream until just combined. It's okay if there are still a few lumps in the batter.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan.

Make the Glaze

1. Combine the stout and corn syrup in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate until shiny and smooth. Let cool to warm room temperature and spread the sauce over the top of the cake. Let stand until the sauce is set, about 1 hour. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

2. Store uneaten squares in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

from:
Cake Keeper Cakes
100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes,
Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and
Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats
by Lauren Chattman
The Taunton Press 2009
$17.95; Paperback Original
ISBN: 1600851207
ISBN 13: 978-1-60085-120-9
Recipe reprinted by permission.

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