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Sweet & Salty Chocolate Stout Cake

Author Beth Branch

Ingredients

chocolate stout cake

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup veg/canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 11.2-oz bottle guinness stout beer, need 1 cup

beer caramel

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 6 Tbsp cold butter cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup stout beer most of the remaining guinness

chocolate frosting

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 8-oz block shortening (crisco)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coco powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

garnish

  • shaved chocolate/chocolate curls
  • 1 cup pretzel crumbs
  • whole mini pretzels

Instructions

for the chocolate stout cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and spray three 6-inch (or two 8-inch) cake pans with nonstick spray.
  • Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Combine sugar, eggs, oil, and villa in a large bowl. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until just combined.
  • Add half of flour mixture and half of the beer. Mix until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and beer. Mix until completely combined.
  • Divide batter evenly among cake pans and bake for 25-28 minutes (23-25 min if using 8-inch pans), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake layer comes out clean.
  • Let cakes cool in pans for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

for the beer caramel

  • Heat sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat; stir constantly as sugar begins to form small clumps. Continue stirring as sugar melts and turns golden brown.
  • Once sugar has completely melted, add butter gradually, while continuously stirring. (I find it helpful to stir with one hand and add pieces of butter with the other.) The melted sugar will bubbly angrily at you when you add the butter (because it's cold and the sugar is hot), but just keep stirring!
  • Once all the butter has been added, stir constantly with one hand and slowly pour in the beer with the other. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
  • Remove from heat. Let caramel cool completely before using. (Caramel with thicken as it cools.)

for the chocolate frosting

  • Cream butter on medium speed with an electric mixer. Add shortening. (I like to slice the shortening and add in pieces while the mixer is running.)
  • Add cocoa powder and vanilla; mix until completely incorporated.
  • Add half of the powdered sugar; mix on low speed until just combined, and then medium-high speed until completely combined. Repeat with remaining powdered sugar.
  • (If frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp milk and mix well.)

assembly

  • Place one cooled cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Cover with frosting, drizzle with caramel, and add a nice even layer of pretzel crumbs. Repeat with the second layer.
  • Top third layer with frosting and spread all over cake. Drip caramel down the sides and drizzle all over the top. Pipe swirls with any remaining frosting and decorate with whole mini pretzels.

Notes

Recipe from bethcakes. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without permission. If you would like to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.