Stout Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Irish)

If you are a fan of decadent treats, this Chocolate Guinness Cake is the dessert for you! The dense and fudgey chocolate cake has a fantastic malty flavour which comes from the addition of the stout and is topped with a creamy white chocolate cream cheese frosting which resembles a pint of Guinness!

Sponge Cake:
10.5 oz butter + extra for greasing (300 g)
5 oz Guinness stout beer (150 mL)
8.8 oz (½ lb) all-purpose flour, unbleached (250 g)
2 tsp. baking soda
3.5 oz cocoa powder (100 g)
13 oz caster sugar (375 g)
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
5 oz sour cream (150 mL)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
7 oz white chocolate (200 g)
4.4 oz butter, at room temperature (125 g)
8 oz cream cheese (225 g)
8 oz icing sugar, sifted (225 g)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4). Grease a 9" (23 cm) cake tin with a removable base and line with a disc of parchment paper.

Make the Sponge: 
Melt the butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the cocoa powder and Guinness. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda and sugar. Make a well with the back of a spoon and pour in the melted butter mixture along with the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract.

Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out completely clean. When the cake is baking, make the cream cheese frosting.

Make the Frosting:
Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed on top of a saucepan filled with a little water boiling over a low heat. Remove from the heat to cool for about 10 minutes. Place the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and beat until fluffy and combined. Mix through the melted white chocolate and then gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar until you have a smooth, spreadable mixture.

Assembly:
Place it on a cake stand and spread with frosting. Swirl the frosting until it resembles the head on the Guinness, like in the photo.

Makes 10 servings.