How to make a chocolate Guinness cake for St Patrick's Day

St Patrick’s Day is the ideal excuse to celebrate all things Irish, and sipping a pint of the black stuff is a tried and tested way to do just that.

But Guinness isn’t just for drinking – it’s actually the essential ingredient for the most delicious chocolate cake.

Here’s how to make a delicious chocolate Guinness cake for St Paddy’s day, courtesy of Dr Oetker.

Prep time: 30 minutes plus cooling

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients (for a cake to serve 8):

125 g (4½ oz) lightly salted butter

125 ml (4½ fl.oz) Guinness

115 g (4oz) self raising flour

(50 g/2oz) cocoa powder

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) bicarbonate of soda

125 g (4½ oz) caster sugar

50 g (2oz) dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

75 ml (3fl.oz) whole milk

1 medium egg, beaten

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

To decorate:

25 g (1oz) lightly salted butter, softened

25 g (1oz) white vegetable fat, softened

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract

100 g (3 ½ oz) icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan oven, 350˚F, Gas Mark 4). Grease and line a deep 15cm (6inch) round cake tin. Put the butter and Guinness in a saucepan and heat very gently, without boiling, until melted. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and chocolate pieces. Make a well in the centre.

3. Mix the egg, milk and vanilla extract together and pour into the dry ingredients along with the Guinness mixture. Mix together well to form a smooth, thick batter.

4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 55 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch – a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then turn on to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To decorate, beat the butter and white vegetable fat together until smooth, creamy and glossy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar to make a spreadable, creamy icing.

6. Spread the icing thickly on top of the cake; smooth the edge by drawing a palette knife round the top to make the icing in-line with the side of the cake, like the head on a pint of Guinness. Serve and enjoy!

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