Guinness Stout Chocolate Cake with Irish Mist Cream Cheese Frosting

Dessert for the The Nudge must be chocolate. Funny, but this chocolate thingy is recent.
Just like having dessert every night. I don't think he has been able to put his finger on the moment he realized he even had this love affair with chocolate.

Men are a strange bunch, making them think they do things for you when inevitably they are doing it for themselves. How many times have you heard, "well, I thought YOU liked the color blue."

Same with "I order chocolate cake because I thought you liked it and I wanted to share it with you." Ahem!

I am making a traditional Irish dinner this weekend, the steak a no-brainer, but we needed a dessert. I always know that a week before any holiday requiring special foods, there would be gazillions of ideas out there. I just was not in the mood to search a gazillion idea sites.

Somehow I found myself in an on-line newspaper, having clicked on a recipe for a Guinness-Marinaded Rib eye and just as I clicked the "Pin It" button, it hit me. OMG, that's where I can get a dessert without wearing my fingers to the bone.....Pinterest.
Dangerous place, but OH, how intrigued I was. Just when you think, the Internet has come up with just about every conceivable online forum, someone steps up and knocks us over and we all say "now why didn't I think of that?" I was hooked.

Simply Recipes was right there with THE perfect recipe for a chocolate loving man and all on one site. How glorious is that?

The Nudge might not be able to remember starting his love affair with chocolate but I sure can remember when I put my finger on the moment I realized I also had a love affair.....with Pinterest.

Oh, the things I do for love.....

Chocolate Guinness Cake
Makes one 8-9" cake

* 1 cup stout or porter, such as Guinness
* 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar (just process regular sugar to 30 seconds)
* 1/2 cup ark brown sugar
* 3/4 cup sour cream (I used full fat Greek Yogurt)
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Irish Mist cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.
3. In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-beer mixture and whisk together.
4. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the counter top to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes (mine was done in 45). Allow to cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan and pop the ring off the springform.
5. Spread frosting on the cooled cake and serve.
After I baked this cake I realized I should have used two round cake pans, so I had to cut the cake in half to put a layer of frosting in between.

Irish Mist Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
* 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
* 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon reduced Irish Mist

1. Reduce 1/2 cup Irish Mist to about a teaspoon.
2. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
3. Add the Irish Mist and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.
4. Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake.

I am a fool as a baker, but this recipe was foolproof. Make this even if it isn't for St. Patty's Day, your leprechauns will love you.

If you ever want a chocolate cake that will roll your guests eye's and make their socks do the jig, make this cake. I am serious. The Nudge told me he could eat this all week and not get sick of it (which is a miracle in itself, half my baking goes into the garbage can). Maybe he's trying to tell me something, Pinterest just might be MY "Pot O' Gold".