Chocolate Guinness Cake with Dark Chocolate Toffee Frosting

Beer and chocolate combined seems to always be a crowd pleaser.  It sure was here in our office; this cake flew off the counter, so we wanted to be sure to share the recipe!  A great addition to your St. Patrick's Day dinner or for any time of the year.

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Dark Chocolate Toffee Frosting
Serves 10-12
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Ingredients
For the cake:

• 1 1/3 cups Guinness
• 1 1/3 cups unsalted butter (13 Tbsp)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream

For the frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Stonewall Kitchen Dark Chocolate Toffee Sauce
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 - 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• Heath Bar Crunch for decoration

Directions

1. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment paper cutting circles to fit the bottom of each pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a low simmer.  Whisk in cocoa powder.  Remove from heat and cool.
3. In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  With a whisk blend until uniform.
4. In a free standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or you can use a hand mixer, mix the eggs and sour cream on medium speed.  Add the Guinness mixture and mix until uniform.  Slowly add the flour and blend until uniform, scraping down the sides as needed.  Do not over mix cake batter.
5. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.  Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove to cooling rack and cool completely.
6. Remove cakes from pans by running a knife around the edges.  If the cake does not come out when inverted run the cake pan over the burner of your stove on low heat making a circular motion with the pan.  Make sure you do not burn the cake, or your hands - use oven mitts.  Just a few seconds should be enough. The cake should easily come out of the pan when inverted. Remove the parchment paper.
7. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting by combining the butter and cream cheese in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Mix until uniform.
8. Add the Dark Chocolate Toffee Sauce and vanilla extract, mix until combined.
9. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed scraping down sides as needed.  Add sugar to desired consistency and/or chill in the refrigerator.  Frost cake and top with Heath Bar Crunch.

Recipes for your St. Patrick's Day Dinner

We may not all be of Irish decent, but that doesn't mean we can't join in on the celebration for St. Patrick's Day on March 17th!  The traditional menu on St. Patrick's Day typically includes Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread and Colconnan Potatoes, but it's also a fun meal to get creative with.  Some people choose to make everything green or have everything on the menu incorporate beer somehow.  Here are a few options depending on the focus of your menu this year.

If you are going traditional, here is a great recipe for Corned Beef

Glazed Corned Beef

Or, for another option for a hearty Irish main course, try our Lamb Stew

Lamb Stew

Looking to cook everything with beer?  A brisket cooked with beer is known to tenderize the meat and give it a great flavor

Barbecued Brisket

It's always fun to have something green on the menu!  For dessert, try something like our Key Lime Tart that naturally has a hint of green to it, or add a few drops of green food coloring to your favorite dessert such as cheesecake or a vanilla milkshake.

Key Lime Tart

There are several towns that host St. Patrick's Day parades or celebrations.  Click here for a great resource to look for events in your area.

What is on your menu this year?