Birthday Cake for Boys: Chocolate Guinness Cake.

What cake does one make for a boy's 24th birthday? It's a tricky one, particularly when the boy in question does not grant cake with great importance (I know *gasp*, but he's soso great in all other aspects of life that I tend to let it slide).

Sorry about the dodgy photo, I wasn't trying to be a food photographer extraordinaire back then. 

Last year I went for the one above, a nice and autumnal Cider and Apple cake; pretty perfect for this cider making Somerset native. Not froof or frill in sight, just moist, spiced and manly alcohol inclusive goodness. So I needed a tip top equivalent for this year, and after much deliberation it came in the form of this....Chocolate Guinness Cake. 

That's right. Chocolate.Guinness. Cake. Now let's all stand up, so we can bow down to Nigella, for this is her creation, and it is GENIUS. Chocolate and Guinness in a cake!! Sorry if you think I'm over playing this but really, once you've made it and experienced the joy in brings, you will join me in my worship. Nige has always been my 'own personal Jesus' but this really cements her status.

For starters it's super easy to put together, a bit of heat, stirrystir, bake and done. Something so easy has absolutely no right to be as delicious as it is. Each bite is dense and smooth and chocolately, some provide a waft of stout and others even verge on the brownie style gooo. Heaven. And so very manly, it even looks like a pint of the black stuff. A winner on every level. Please don't wait for a boy's birthday requirement to make this cake. With Love and Cake.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

From Nigella's Feast- one of my all time favs

A few notes:

• As always, make sure you wait until the cake has completely cooled before icing, melty icing would be no good.
• I'm afraid I actually didn't use Guinness but a bottle of Scottish stout which I've been wanting to buy for a while, just because of the cute bottle. It worked perfectly.
• I made the icing in a food processor; whizz icing sugar, then add cream cheese and cream and whizz to combine. But I'll write the recipe for doing it by hand.

Makes 1 23cm cake

You will need

a 23cm cake tin, well greased and the base lined

For the cake

250ml Guinness or dark stout

250g butter, cubed

75g cocoa

400g caster sugar

142ml sour cream

2 eggs

1tbsp vanilla extract

275g plain flour

2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the top

300g cream cheese

150g icing sugar

125ml double cream

• Preheat your oven to 180°c.
• Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan, with the butter and heat gently until the butter has melted.
• Whisk the cocoa and sugar into the pan and remove from the heat.
• In a bowl, beat together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla and stir into the pan of Guinness.
• Finally whisk in the flour and bicarbonate of soda until well combined.
• Pour the dark mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45mins to 1 hour, until risen and springy.
• Leave to cool completely in the tin.
• To make the topping, whip the cream cheese until smooth.
• Sieve in the icing sugar and beat to combine.
• Add the cream and beat until spreadable.
• When the cake/pint is cold, remove it from the tin and spread the icing/foam in a nice smooth layer on top. 
• Happy Birthdaaaay.