Monday, March 23, 2009

Belated Guinness Cake

I discovered the recipe for this Chocolate Stout Cake before St. Patrick's Day, but I didn't have a chance to make it for the 17th because I had just gotten back from a trip on Monday night. Luckily no one seemed to mind when I served it after a filling dinner at Buz and Ned's on Friday. It is a very moist, rich cake with deep flavors. The cake itself isn't overly sweet, nor is the chocolate ganache frosting, but they meld together to create a luscious dessert experience. Unfortunately the cake was gone so quickly that I forgot to take pictures.

I made half of the recipe and it was a normal 9", two layer sized cake. One of the interpretations I found said to make the cakes at least twenty-four hours before frosting, and I was able to do that. I also made the ganache the day before (three-quarters of what the original recipe asked for) and had to heat it on the stove before it was soft enough to spread. In addition, I sifted and stirred in 1.5-2 cups of confectioner's sugar to take the bittersweet edge off and give the frosting a little more volume. Overall I was very pleased with the outcome, but I might try to experiment in some other ways when I make this cake again.

On Thursday I'll be picking up turnips, pea shoots, a cucumber, and sweet potatoes from Edible Garden. I also have to post about the pork shoulder I made in my new Dutch oven. Stay tuned!

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