Chocolate cake is 'magnificent' if you add 1 unusual ingredient loved by Nigella Lawson
One of the baking queen's most popular recipes is an indulgent chocolate cake that's so rich thanks to a strange yet tasty addition.
There's no better way to spend a gloomy afternoon than baking something sweet. You can never go wrong with an indulgent chocolate cake, and there are so many amazing recipes out there to choose from.
Nothing beats the classics, though, and when it comes to those foolproof recipes, Nigella Lawson is one of the best. She's known for her decadent, rich recipes and has several chocolate cake techniques under her belt. But perhaps her most famous one includes an unusual yet popular ingredient that adds so much more depth and flavour to the batter.
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Featured in Nigella's book Feast, this decadent chocolate cake has around half a can of Guinness in the batter. This popular alcoholic drink is velvety, dark and rich, so it really makes sense to be used in a chocolate cake recipe.
The recipe notes state: "This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can't say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love. The best way of describing it is to say that it's like gingerbread without the spices."
To counteract the richness, the cake is topped with a light yet luxe cream cheese frosting. However, you can leave it un-iced if you wish, and it will still taste 'gorgeous'.
Here's everything you need to make this recipe.
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Nigella Lawson's Guinness cake
Ingredients - for the cake
- 250 millilitres Guinness
- 250 grams unsalted butter
- 75 grams cocoa powder
- 400 grams caster sugar
- 150 millilitres sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 275 grams plain flour
- 2½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
For the topping
- 300 grams cream cheese
- 150 grams icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- 125 millilitres double cream (or whipping cream)
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/160°C Fan/350ºF, and butter and line a 23cm springform tin.
Pour the Guinness into a large, wide saucepan, add the butter and heat until it has melted. Then, whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, and then pour into the pan, and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack.
When the cake's cold, set it on a flat platter or cake stand and make the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and cornflour and then beat to combine.
If you're using double cream, add it and beat until you have a spreadable consistency. If using whipping cream, whisk first to soft peaks, add a couple of spoonfuls into the cream cheese mixture, and once this is combined, fold in the rest.
Ice the cake, and serve immediately.
