Image credit: Unknown

        Stout and other dark beers are often described as having chocolatey overtones, so this combination might not be as far-fetched as one might initially think. The flavor of this cake is multi-dimensional: the presence of the stout gives it a much more interesting finish; the hops from the beer act as a counterpoint to the sugar in the cake. It's an incredibly moist cake, too, and its rich, dark color comes mostly from the beer. Barrington Brewery & Restaurant in Great Barrington, MA has been making Chocolate Stout Cake for decades; we thank them for the inspiration behind this version, which we've tweaked slightly. The Guinness Stout is actually vegan now too. That makes it the best dark beer for this one.

       This recipe makes a whole lot of cake so you may want to cut it down to half or even 1/4 of each ingredient to make this one. If you are not great at math you can find amount conversion kitchen calculators to help you with that. I sincerely believe that you will be making his cake more than just once. It is perfect for taking to celebratory events such as birthday parties, holiday gatherings, family reunions, or any other festive occasion that you might find yourself invited to. You might even discover that you are being invited because you bake this cake for your gatherings .

       This one wasn't vegan when I found it but I took the time to convert it to vegan so that we could all enjoy its bright flavor and its almost addictive qualities. I had thought about cutting down the ingredient amounts before posting this recipe, but I opted not to do so because with proper packaging you can freeze unused cake layers for future use without this one drying out or tasting like it had been frozen. I am sure you will be pleased with the Chocolate Stout Cake once you have tried it.

Ingredients:

2 cups (454g) stout or dark beer, such as Guinness (Guinness is a Vegan beer)e
2 cups (454g) earth balance vegan buttere
1 1/2 cups (128g) Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoae
4 cups (482g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Floure
4 cups (794g) organic sugare
1 tablespoon baking powder (look for alumiinum sulfate free)e
1 teaspoon salte
1 cup pureed firm silken tofue
3/4 cup (170g) non-dairy sour cream, at room temperature

Frosting:

1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups (454g) non-dairy heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dirctions:

       For the cake: Place the stout and butter in a large, heavy saucepan, and heat until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the cocoa powder.

       Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

       Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

       In a large mixing bowl, beat together pureeed firm silken tofu and sour cream.

       Add the stout-cocoa mixture, mixing to combine.

       Add the flour mixture and mix together at slow speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix again for 1 minute.

       Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans. (See tips section for hints on weighing out the batter if you have a kitchen scale.)

       Bake the layers for 35 minutes for 8" pans, or 45 to 50 minutes for 9" pans, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning the cakes out of their pans and returning to the rack to finish cooling completely before frosting.

       For the frosting: Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan.

       Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is completely smooth.

       Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate until the icing is spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.

       To assemble: Trim one cake layer to have a flat top, if necessary (otherwise the layer will crack when you place it upside down on your cake plate).

       Line the edges of a serving plate with parchment or waxed paper to keep it clean, and then place the layer upside down on top. Spread 2/3 cup of the icing over just the top of the layer.

       Top with another cake layer, top side down, and repeat the process. If you baked three layers, add that one also.

       Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Remove the parchment or waxed paper. Sprinkle with shamrock sugar decorations, if you have them.

Tips from our Bakers

       If you have access to chocolate disks or chips that are pure chocolate, they'll melt more quickly when making the frosting. We used a bit of leftover tempered chocolate in the photos for this recipe.

       The batter for this cake weighs 5 pounds, 15 ounces or 95 ounces. If you have a scale, a two layer cake should have 2 pounds, 15 1/2 ounces of batter in each pan. For a 3 layer cake, each layer should weigh 1 pound, 15 1/2 ounces.

       If you're buying Guinness in cans (they list 14.9 ounces on the label), use 1 can and make up the difference in volume with water.

       If you're making two layers, be sure your 9" cake pans are at least 2" deep. If they aren't that tall, use three 8" layers (or two 10" layers) instead. For a somewhat less imposing (smaller) cake, downsize the ingredients as follows: 1 1/2 cups each beer and butter; 1 cup cocoa; 3 cups each flour and sugar; 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 large eggs; 2/3 cup sour cream. Bake in two 9" round pans, at 350°F, for 35 minutes. Frost with Super-Simple Chocolate Frosting, with the optional espresso powder added. This downsized version also makes 30 standard-size cupcakes; bake them for 18 to 22 minutes, then remove from the oven, cool, and frost.