Guinness Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

I saw.

I dreamt.

I made it the very next day.

This Guinness chocolate cake recipe is very similar to Nigella's version which I made almost a year ago and loved. It was really dark, rich, moist and the slight hint of malty flavour was quite unique and unforgettable. When I saw Donna Hay's version with peanut butter frosting at the urban baker, I couldn't get it out of my mind! Love chocolate, love peanut butter and the cake with Guinness?

nom nom love.

I made some slight changes here and there. Replaced some of the cocoa powder with melted dark chocolate as 1/2 cup of cocoa powder was all I got. This made it even richer. Used crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth as I like to bite into the nuts.

Ingredients: 9 x 4" loaf
Adapted from Donna Hay magazine issue 50
For Guinness chocolate cake batter:

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 250g unsalted butter
• 50g Belgian dark chocolate - coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder - sifted
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 150ml sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

For frosting:

• 130g icing/ confectioners sugar
• 230g peanut butter (I used crunchy)
• 80g unsalted butter - softened at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used Elmlea Double)

Directions:
For Guinness chocolate cake batter:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C.
• Lightly grease a 9 x 4" loaf pan and line with parchment.
• Gently heat Guinness Stout, butter and dark chocolate in a saucepan until butter and chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.
• Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar.
• In a clean mixing bowl, beat together sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract.
• Add the sour cream mixture into the Guinness mixture and mix until well combined.
• Sift together plain flour and baking soda, mix this into Guinness chocolate mixture until well combined.
• Pour batter into the lined cake pan and bake for 1 hr 20 mins (mine was done in only 1 hr 10 mins) or until done. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle, should come out clean if done. Cool cake on rack.

For frosting:

• Place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for about 6 mins or until fluffy.
• Add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes.
• Spread peanut butter frosting over cooled cake.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting photography tip:

Photograph this the next day as you get will get a clean cut through the frosting. Notice the frosting smear on the cake in my first picture? The frosting wasn't set enough. The picture above was taken the next day - you get a nice clean cut through the cake and for some reason, the PB frosting was darker in colour which made it look even more tempting!