Now, I know this bake may seem a little premature as it’s technically not Father’s Day until Sunday, but Mr. LA will be working on Father’s Day ‘proper’ so I decided to gift him this cake today instead. Besides, I was in the mood to tinker in the kitchen this morning and I never deny my inner domestic goddess.

This recipe comes from Nigella Lawson’s ‘Feast’ (page 286 to be precise) which I’ve been pouring over ever since I checked it out of the library. It has an entire chapter devoted to chocolate cakes. Yummy! As soon as I spied the recipe for this cake I knew it would be perfect for the beloved father of my 2 children. He’s Irish (well, of Irish descent, he grew up in the midlands, but I can’t think of any cakes relating to that part of the world) and he loves real ales, beer and stout.

I can honestly say that this is the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever made. It doesn’t taste of Guinness as such, Nigella’s right when she likens it to gingerbread but without the spices. It’s wonderfully damp and looks almost black once baked. The cream cheese frosting is delicious too. I’ve had two slices already and will no doubt go back for more before bedtime!

It was fabulously easy to make. I stood over the stove and added all the ingredients to the lightly bubbling pan while Jesse chomped on an apple. I made the topping while he slept but it didn’t take long at all, I could easily have done it while he was awake really.

For the cake you will need:
250ml Guinness
250g unsalted butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
1 x 142ml pot sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp real vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the topping:
300g cream cheese e.g Philadelphia (although I use Sainsburys Basics soft cheese… what do you mean I’m cheap?)
150g icing sugar
125ml whipping or double cream

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180C, and butter and line a 23cm springform tin.
• Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter (I sliced mine) and heat until the butter has melted.
• Whisk in the cocoa and sugar.
• Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan.
• Finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
• Pour the batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45min to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on the cooling rack, as it’s quite a damp cake.
• Once cold, sit the cake on a platter or cake stand and proceed with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together.
• Add the cream and beat again until the scrummy icing has reached a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Mr. LA agreed that it was yummy and washed his slice down with the remainder of the bottle of Guinness.

I’m keen to try the Tropical Chocolate Cake next. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of Malibu. In a previous life I drank a little too much of this with Coke.

Now I just eat too much cake.

Loveaudrey xxx