Chocolate Guinness Cake

Today is a very special day, it is Jessica from Sunny Side Up's Virtual Baby Shower. The theme of the shower is A Little Pot of Gold, so Irish food is the name of the game.  Miss F was my trusty sous chef in preparing this cake.  Let's hope all the alcohol cooked off while the Guinness was simmering away because she may have had a lick or two of the batter.  I adapted this recipe from Nigella Lawson's recipe for Chocolate Guinness Cake.  I made it into a layer cake and added a chocolate ganache filling to amp up the rich chocolate flavor.  I told Miss F that we were baking this cake to celebrate a new baby, but it was hard to explain the "virtual" part of the shower.  So she said that it was a birthday cake for Bear Friend.  So I hope this cake can be equally shared and enjoyed by Jessica and Bear Friend.  I can only hope Jessica is as blessed with such a sweet little girl as I have been.  We are all anxiously awaiting sweet Maeve's arrival!

This shower has been graciously hosted by Jessica from My Baking Heart and Krystal from Mrs. Reguiero's Plate, please be sure to check out their blogs to see all the fabulous Irish recipes prepared to celebrate the new baby.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

1 cup Guinness
9 ounces unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
¾ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup cream

8 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8" cake pans, line with parchment paper.

Pour the Guinness into a saucepan, add the butter and heat until the butter is melted, then whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla with a mixer, then pour into the saucepan. Whisk in the flour and baking soda.

Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack.

Melt the chocolate chips and cream over a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Spread the chocolate mixture between the two cake layers. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth, slowly adding the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread the icing over top of the cake, serve.

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