Chocolate Guinness Cake

This cake was very good and very tall (3 layers). It would have been better if I left it out instead of refrigerating it, but Guinness (the dog) got to part of it and I had to get her away.

Photo by ALB

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Ingredients
2 cups Guinness
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream

Preparation
For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. (I sprayed 3 pans with PAM and was done). Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

Icing
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Place cream cheese and confectioners' sugar into a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric beater, until smooth. Add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency.
Ice top of cake, starting at middle and fanning out, so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Yields about 12 slices.