recipe review: chocolate guiness cupcakes

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake (made into cupcakes)

Review: Super easy to make. Cupcakes weren't super moist but icing was divine. Perfect for those not crazy about chocolate - has a subtle chocolate flavor that's not too sweet.

I mentioned that we were going to try cocktails of champagne and Guinness (nothing to write home about - I prefer each separately). What to do with the extra Guinness but make Nigella's Chocolate Guinness cake (and sip some while baking, of course)! I had to wear my new apron from Husband for the occasion (from Anthro - loves it).


Ingredients (for the cake):
* 1 cup Guinness stout
* 1 stick + 2 T. unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 2 cups superfine sugar (I subbed granulated Splenda)
* 3/4 cup sour cream
* 2 large eggs
* 1 T. vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 t. baking soda

Ingredients (for the icing):
* 1 box cream cheese, 8 oz. (softened to nearly room temperature)
* 1 1/4 confectioner's sugar
* 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 1/4 cup skim milk, which was fine)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. [Since I was making cupcakes, I just used cupcake liners and buttered a mini loaf pan for the extra batter.]

2) On medium-low heat, combine the Guinness and butter (add butter by the tablespoon). When butter melts, remove pan from heat.

3) Add cocoa and sugar, whisk to blend (I did not whisk, since I was using my nonstick pan).

4) In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until mixed well. Slowly add to the Guinness mixture.

5) Add flour and baking soda, whisk until smooth. [My biggest mistake was forgetting to take the batter off the heat! My batter ended up kind of dry and rubbery, and in a panic, I added more Guinness to compensate. Bad move...do not do this!]

6) Pour mixture into buttered pan or muffin sheet (I only did 2 tablespoons batter in each cup, which is why my cupcakes look so sad and puny...I should have done at least 3-4). Bake until risen and firm - about 45 minutes for the springform pan, and about 20 minutes for the cupcakes. [If in doubt, stick a toothpick in the middle...it should come out clean or with a crumb or two.] Let cake cool completely before icing.

7) Mix confectioner's sugar and cream cheese (I'd highly recommend using a hand mixer...I tried using a whisk to disastrous results). Add cream (or milk), and mix until smooth.

8) Let the icing commence! Ice the top of the cake (or each cupcake) as high as you can to look like the froth at the top of a just-poured pint. [I borrowed a neighbor's cake decorating bag, which worked well for this.]


As you can tell, this recipe didn't go as smoothly as my others, but it turned out good nonetheless. I might substitute a bit of canola oil in place of some butter to add some moisture to the cake. Also, since the flavor almost resembles bittersweet or dark chocolate, I might try using whole-wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose (don't think it would detract much from the intended taste).