Guinness Chocolate ’n’ Caramel Cake of the Gods
Intense, strong and refined. This, in my mind, is the perfect cake. It has depth, without any cloying sweetness, and only improves after a few days sitting on the outskirts of your kitchen bench.
There is currently a trend for heavy, brownie-like cakes that verge on sludge, but not this one. While it’s definitely still a chocolate cake, it has a beautiful lightness to it. The Guinness is the perfect foil to the sweetness of the caramel and rather lofty heights of icing that crown it.
Makes 12-16 slices.
Ingredients 13
Cake
250 ml Guinness
250 g unsalted butter
80 g dutch cocoa powder, unsweetened
300 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
100 ml caramel, plus extra to serve, see my recipe
2 free-range eggs, large, organic
1⁄2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
140 ml buttermilk
280 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Pinch salt
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
Buttercream
180 g egg whites, free-range, about 6 eggs
230 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
350 g unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
4 tbsp dutch cocoa powder, unsweetened
Pinch salt
125 ml caramel, to drizzle, see my recipe
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Method 9
Preheat the oven to 170˚C (340˚F). Line the base of a 23 cm diameter, minimum 10 cm deep, round springform cake tin.
Add the and to a saucepan and place over low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and stir through the and .
Mix together the , , and in a bowl, then add the Guinness mixture, stirring to combine.
Sift the , , , and into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour the Guinness mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer set on low speed. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are incorporated. Stir through the .
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool, then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack, to cool completely.
For the buttercream, put the and in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a saucepan filled with water. Over medium heat, whisk constantly, until the mixture reaches 71˚C (160˚F). The sugar will be dissolved and the mixture hot to the touch.
Immediately remove the bowl from the heat, and fix the bowl onto the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until a thick and glossy meringue has formed, 5–7 minutes. Beat in the , a tablespoon at a time.
Lower the speed and add the and . Continue to beat until silky-smooth and aerated.
Generously scoop the buttercream onto the cake. You can either frost the entire cake or add voluptuous pillows of icing to the top. Gently drizzle with and slice to serve.
Katrina Meynink's tips
Makes 12-16 slices.
