Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness Cake

For the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine the Guinness and butter, and cook over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, add the cocoa and sugar, and whisk to blend. Let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, and mix well. Add to the Guinness mixture. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk again until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until the cake has risen and is firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place on a rack and cool the cake completely in the pan.

For the frosting: Use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a food processor to mix the cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar, and mix until smooth. Add the heavy cream, and mix until the frosting is smooth and spreadable, about 3 minutes. 

Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a platter. Ice the top of the cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.