Chocolate Stout Cake Yields 1 large bundt cake or 12 miniature bundt cakes.'
Rich, dark, and toasty stout beer plus deeply flavored molasses gives the chocolate flavor of this cake some wonderful nuance. With this recipe, you can bake one big beautiful cake, perfect for entertaining, or a dozen irresistible miniature bunt cakes, perfect for gift giving.
FOR THE CAKE:
1 1/4 cups stout, such as Guinness (don't include the foam when measuring)
1/3 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
7 1/2 oz. (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
2 1/4 oz. (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed); more for the pan
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/z tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
10 oz. (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for the pan
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE (OPTIONAL):
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
Make the cake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan (or twelve 1-cup mini bundt pans) and then lightly coat with sifted cocoa; tap out any excess cocoa.
In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the stout and molasses to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand while preparing the cake batter.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a stand mixer (use the paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl on medium speed
until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour and stout mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Stop the mixer at least one last time to scrape the bowl and then beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 20 seconds. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan (or pans), spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Run a knife through the batter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 45 to 50 minutes (or about 35 minutes for mini cakes). Set the pan on a rack to cool for 20 minutes. (If you let it sit longer, it may break apart when you try to take it out.) Invert the cake onto the rack and remove the pan. Let cool until just barely warm. If you're making the cake ahead, wrap it in plastic wrap while still barely warm and without the glaze; it will keep for about a week at room temperature. You can also freeze well-wrapped cakes for up to a month.
Make the glaze: If you plan to freeze the cake, don't glaze it until you're ready to serve it or give it away.
Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute and then whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes before drizzling over the barely warm cake. Let the glaze cool to room temperature before serving.