Chocolate Stout Cake: A Decadent Treat for Chocolate Lovers
- 2 cups whipping cream
- -- cake --
- -- icing --
- 4 large eggs
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- stout e.g., guinness
- 2 cups unsalted butter 4 sticks
- 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder preferably dutch process
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 1/3 cups sour cream
- 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped (can use chips)
- -- for cake --
- Carbohydrate 257.817947530585 g
- Cholesterol 457.483416666667 mg
- Fat 58.3015988992647 g
- Fiber 3.98207681954874 g
- Protein 17.6308517668242 g
- Saturated Fat 33.3578256352153 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (432g)
- Sodium 459.984640688998 mg
- Sugar 253.835870711036 g
- Trans Fat 4.80886746765582 g
- Calories 1570 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 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.
- 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.
- Place 1 cake layer on plate.
- Spread 2/3 cup icing over.
- Top with second cake layer.
- Spread 2/3 cup icing over.
- Top with third cake layer.
- Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
A list of measurements obscures how the stout and butter must meld over heat without scorching the cocoa solids. When simmering the liquid fat and beer, keep the heat at medium and whisk continuously once the powder enters, or bitter burnt notes will infiltrate the crumb. Dutch-process cocoa reacts specifically with the measured baking soda, requiring a gentle hand during the final folding stage to preserve the trapped air that keeps the triple-layer structure light rather than leaden.
Temperature management during icing construction dictates success. Scalding the whipping cream just to a simmer before pouring it over the chopped bittersweet chocolate ensures the emulsion forms properly without splitting the fats. Chilling the ganache requires frequent stirring over two hours to achieve a spreadable viscosity that holds the layers together without sliding.
Altering the primary components changes the structural integrity significantly. Substituting regular milk for sour cream removes essential acidity, leaving the crumb dense because the baking soda lacks sufficient acid for complete activation. Using standard table salt instead of fine crystal salt changes the volumetric proportion, risking patches of excessive salinity within the rich batter.
