Chocolate Guinness Cake

We love this moist, rich Guinness cake and with St Patrick’s Day looming, it’s the perfect cake to celebrate Ireland’s special day. It’s another recipe from Olivia, the highly-skilled chef aboard hotel barge Shannon Princess. Try not to be put off by the Guinness as it is not the dominant flavour, but just gives more depth to the chocolate to make this cake really indulgent.

 Guinness Cake – Ingredients

200g Cream flour [plain flour]

250g granulated sugar

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon of salt

1 large egg

125g unsalted butter

150 ml natural yoghurt or butter milk

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cocoa

150 ml of Guinness

 Guinness Cake – Method

1. Preheat oven to 180º C / 350º F / Gas mark 4

2. Line your cake tin with parchment paper [if using a moulded cake tin, use baker’s non stick spray]

3. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl

4. Lightly whisk the egg, vanilla & buttermilk [or yoghurt] in a jug

5. Then melt the butter in a saucepan, adding the cocoa and Guinness. When it has just melted, stir is until smooth to ensure there are no lumps.

6. Next, mix all the ingredients together.

7. Pour the mix into the prepared tin and back for approximately 45 minutes. It is cooked when a tester [toothpick or thin skewer] comes out clean.

8. Allow the cake to stand for 30 minutes before removing from the tin. Then turn it out to cool on a wire rack.

To serve

Serve with fresh cream, butter cream or your choice of sauce.