Before getting into the bean to bar chocolate scene I was a cake decorator. I made multiple wedding cakes and celebration cakes weekly and specialized in all of the fun and whimsical 3d, Topsy-turvy, sculpted cakes that you see on TV. The funny thing was I have never really enjoyed eating a super sweet, heavy cake. Instead I enjoy having just a bite or two of a balanced, not to sweet, European style cake made with great ingredients. This chocolate stout cake is just that.
I rarely bake cakes anymore but I keep the tradition of each year baking at least one cake on my own birthday as well as one or two here or there for other special occasions. This year while looking at our beer collection I decided to make a chocolate stout cake featuring my bean to bar Nicaraguan cocoa powder and chocolate along with a bottle of Good People Brewing Company’s Barrel Aged El Gordo Stout. Any full bodied stout that you like to drink would work great in this cake. For the frosting I used my favorite Italian Meringue Butter cream recipe and added a ladle of our Nicaragua bean to bar chocolate and a stout reduction. Comment below or send me a message if you are interested in a post on how to make this type of frosting.
Make this moist and fluffy chocolate cake with your favorite stout beer, but be sure to use very high quality cocoa that is fudgy and delicious. For this recipe we love our single origin Nicaragua cocoa.
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup high fat cocoa powder, sifted For great chocolate flavor use fresh pressed single origin cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup stout beer, room temperature I used Barrel Aged El Gordo Stout
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Preheat the oven to 350 and grease two 8" round cake pans. For best results I always highly recommend lining the bottoms of your cake pans with parchment paper. To do this simply trace the pan on a piece of parchment paper and cut it out and place it in the greased pan. There is no need to grease the paper and this will help a lot when transferring your pan later on.
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In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment blend the sugar and the oil until combined and then add the eggs one at a time until they are completely mixed in. Next slowly add the stout and buttermilk and whisk just until it all a smooth mixture.
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In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients, I like to do this with a whisk to keep them light and aerated.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet all at once and mix just until combined, being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure that there are not any pockets of flour at the bottom. The key to a tender cake is not over mixing!
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The batter will be very wet, divide it into the two pans, filling 2/3 full. If you have additional batter left over a cup cake or two on the side makes for a great snack without having to cut the cake. (secret cake samples)
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Bake, rotating half way until a skewer comes out with just a few crumbs. You don't want to over cook it in order to keep it very moist, but you don't want it runny either so be sure to check it often after 15 minutes. Oven cooking times can vary widely.
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Cool the cakes in the pans and then wrap in plastic wrap overnight to keep them moist and help to hold them together when frosting.
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I flavored my favorite Italian meringue butter cream recipe with a ladle of 71% dark Nicaragua chocolate and 12 oz of the El Gordo stout that I slowly reduced down to 1/4 cup and blended in.
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The next morning slide a thin knife around the edge of the cake pans and flip the first cake onto your serving platter. Remove the parchment layer and fill with a layer of frosting then place the next layer on top bottom parchment side up (this keeps it nice and flat). Remove this parchment too and frost the cake using your favorite method.
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Thanks! Let us know if you have any other questions.