Chocolate Guinness Cake

So, two day's ago it was Arthur's Day, (23rd of September every year which celebrates the anniversary of the brewing of Guinness which started in 1759,.) No one in my family drinks Guinness but we do like it in our food and we had some bottles in the house so I thought we might as well join in with the celebrations. This recipe is from the April 2011 issue of delicious. magazine.

Ingredients

250g softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
200g soft dark brown sugar
100g good quality dark chocolate, melted in a bowl over simmering water
2 large free-range eggs
200ml Guinness
275g self-raising flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Icing
200g tub cream cheese
75g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp soured cream
125g white chocolate, melted

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease and line a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin.


Beat the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy (will take around 5mins.) Gradually beat in the melted chocolate until smooth, then beat in the eggs one at a time.


Gradually whisk in the Guinness. You will have a smooth batter at this point (don't worry if it curdles.) Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then fold carefully into the chocolate mixture.


Pour into the the tin and bake for 35-40mins until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then turn out onto a cake plate. (You can wrap the un-iced cake in baking paper then cling flim and freeze for up to 3 months.)


For the icing, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth, then mix in the soured cream and melted chocolate. Spread over the cake and serve... TO ARTHUR!