Beer: October 2005 Archives

Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout

This is a most incredibly smooth beer. It is so dark that light does not pass through the glass. The head forms and is the most beautiful creamy head that is almost like silk on your tongue. You will want to drink this beer cool but not icey cold. You want to sip and savour and enjoy every tiny bit of it in your mouth. I promise you this is a beer that deserves to be given a fair chance. You MUST acquire and test this one out. It is not a beer you want to drink every day. It is not really a beer you have with a meal. You might enjoy it with a dark chocolate dessert. Beer and chocolate are excellent pairings! (I am thinking this beer might be excellent in a recipe I have for a chocolate cake made with a dark stout. When my shipment arrives I plan to try it. If it turns out the way I hope I might also add it to my cake-in-jar gift list.) This is one of those you pour on a crisp evening, sit by the fire with a good book or movie in your most comfortable jammies and simply enjoy and relax.

Cake

2 cups stout
4 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350��F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

I can't remember where I first got this recipe. Credit belongs to someone but I don't know who. I do know there are other versions spread around the world.