Guinness Cake

• unsalted butter↗4 ounces
• dark brown sugar↗10 ounces
• medium eggs, beaten↗2
• plain flour↗6 ounces
• baking powder↗1⁄4 teaspoon
• baking soda↗1 teaspoon
• Guinness stout (or other Irish stout)↗7 fluid ounces
• cocoa powder↗2 ounces
• Icing ingredients
• chocolate↗4 ounces
• Guinness stout↗2 tablespoons
• butter↗2 ounces
• icing sugar, sifted↗4 ounces
• walnuts, finely chopped↗1 ounce

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   To make the cake-----------.

2. 2

   Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans, and preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

3. 3

   Cream butter and sugar together.

4. 4

   Gradually beat in the eggs.

5. 5

   Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a separate bowl.

6. 6

   Stir Guinness into cocoa.

7. 7

   Carefully fold in alternate quantities of flour and cocoa to butter/sugar mixture.

8. 8

   Spread mixture into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.

9. 9

   Leave to cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning out.

10. 10

    To make the icing---------.

11. 11

    Melt chocolate with Guinness, and then beat in butter and leave to cool a little before beating in icing sugar.

12. 12

    Remove ¼ of icing and stir in chopped walnuts.

13. 13

    When icing has cooled to a spreadable consistency, sandwich cake with walnut icing and use rest for top and sides.

14. 14

    Decorate with walnut halves and grated chocolate.