Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness Cake
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
¾ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup heavy cream
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.