Stout Chocolate Bundt Cake

Chocolate...Cake...Stout... It's the best of so many worlds! I am constantly looking for cake recipes that are simple, but have the wow factor (in this case the chocolate and stout combination). Something easy to bake, and delicious for a special event like a birthday. I cut this recipe out of Real Simple magazine's holiday edition, 2010. Today I had the excuse of Lauren's birthday to bake it. Perfect to bring to The Mallard for everyone to have paired with their beverage of choice for the evening. Everyone loved the cake, it was a huge hit. Oh, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!!

What's in it

Butter and unsweetened cocoa powder for the pan

1 C (2 sticks) butter

2 1/2 C flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 C stout beer (like Guinness)

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

3 eggs

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C sour cream

1/2 C heavy cream

How it's made

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12 cup bundt pan (be sure to butter thoroughly and to the rim) and dust with cocoa, tapping out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan melt the butter with the stout over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat and add 8 ounces of the chocolate, whisking until smooth. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream eggs and sugars together with an electric mixer. Beat on medium high until fluffy. Add sour cream and chocolate stout mixture and cream together. Gradually mix in flour mixture a little at a time, and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, and bake on lower rack in oven 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan a half hour, then invert onto a rack to cool completely. If the cake seems over cooked (dry) on top, you can trim off the top, which will also allow it to sit flat on the plate when inverted.

While cake is cooling on rack, make the ganache. In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream just until it boils. Add the remaining 4 ounces chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes whisk mixture until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Pour over cake to glaze, using a spatula to smooth and distribute the glaze. Allow glaze to set before serving.