Taste of the Season

Mar 9, 2015

By: E.J. Bowman

Now that we’ve set the clocks ahead, warmers weather cannot be far away. As we thaw out here at the B&B, we are preparing our gardens for the spring seaon and refreshing our pantry.

While we have enjoyed the hot hearty meals of winter, including fresh root vegetablesand delicious soups, we are ready for something a little sweeter.

March is a month of celebrations here in Lancaster County. From the annual King Street Seisiun in downtown Lancaster to a wide variety of local pubs offering specials throughout the month that celebrate the St. Patty’s Day holiday. Irish culture is alive and well here in Lancaster and we can’t help but to partake in some of the shenanigans with one our favorite Irish staples, Guinness. But we aren’t just clinking bottles, we are making a delectable Guinness Cake. This mouthwatering cake has a frothy icing reminiscent of the infamous beer with flavors of coffee and chocolate from the stout.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup Guinness stout beer
½ cup butter, cubed
2 cups sugar
¾ cup baking cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup sour cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Topping:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:

Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with pachment paper, set aside
In a small saucepan, heat beer and butter until butter is melted. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and cocoa until blended. Combine the eggs, sour cream and vanilla; whisk into beer mixture. Combine flour and baking soda; whisk into beer mixture until smooth.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely in a pan on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy, add confectioners’ sugar and cream; beat until smooth (do not over-beat). Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake so that it resembles a frothy pint of beer.

This recipe makes 12 servings, and while this is a crowd pleasing cake, we suggest refrigerating leftovers to keep the icing firm and cake moist. We hope you enjoy this Irish treat and please tell us how your cake turns out in the comments section below.

Enjoy!