Chocolate Guinness Maltesers
Posted in: Baking - Monday, January 16 2012
The Sweet Adventures Blog Hop continues with Christina (The Hungry Australian) hosting this month’s hop: Death By Chocolate. I wasn’t too sure what chocolatey sin I would commit for this adventure but the luscious combo of dark chocolate and passionfruit was playing on my mind all last week. However, being invited to a BBQ on Sunday afternoon changed my mind, as did overdosing on Lindt’s new Passionfruit Intense dark chocolate bar.
I recently came across a delicious recipe for chocolate Guinness ice pops (for my Zoku Pop Maker) which made me wonder what a cake would taste like with Guinness laced in the mixture. Surely enough, it seems many others have been equally captivated by the flavour combo and you’ll find quite a few recipes online. The basic recipe at Nigella.com and one provided by the Hummingbird Bakery are the ones I drew upon, adding a few tweaks here and there.
A super rich cream cheese frosting seemed to be the usual dance partner for this cake but I decided to play on the malty richness of Guinness by adding Maltesers to the equation. Besides, who doesn’t want more chocolate? I crushed up a few Maltesers in my Thermomix and blitzed together a super malty frosting. A few extra crushed and whole Maltesers finished the cake.
Hubby isn’t a huge fan of Guinness and turned his nose at the idea of using it in a cake but he managed to eat his words in between mouthfuls of my cake. It got the huge thumbs up from all concerned and I must say that this recipe produces an amazingly moist chocolate cake with an irresistible malty, caramel flavour.
I have provided a recipe for Thermomix users but you can refer to the links above for regular baking. I have also adjusted the ingredients to make a smaller cake (you can make it as per the recipe in the links but it’s a huge cake!) so you’ll need to double the amount of my icing to use on a big cake. Finally, I also chose to reduce the amount of sugar used. With such a sweet icing, you just don’t need that much sugar! Up to you of course :D
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Cake
100g Guinness (or similar dark stout)
125g unsalted butter
40g cocoa powder
180g caster sugar (I used 100g caster sugar and 80g light brown Muscovado sugar)
1 egg
1/2 vanilla pod, scraped
50g buttermilk
140g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
Frosting
1 bag of Maltesers (you need at least 30)
1 1/2 cup of icing sugar
1 tbsp powdered malt (if desired or to taste)
3 tbsp Crisco (replace entirely with butter if preferred)
1 tbsp butter
dash of milk if required
To Make: Pre-heat over to 180C. Place Guinness and butter in TMX bowl and set at Speed 1, 50C for 3 minutes until butter is melted. Mixture should smell caramel-y and delicious! Add sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and egg and mix on Speed 4 for 5 seconds to combine well. Add buttermilk and mix for another 5 seconds on Speed 4. Add remaining ingredients and blend on Speed 3 for 10 seconds. Pour cake mix into a well greased round 20cm cake tin and bake for 45-50 minutes. Cake is done when a knife or skewer comes out clean from the centre. Allow to cool completely on a rack.
For the icing, place about 10-12 Maltesers into TMX bowl and blitz on Speed 5 for a couple of seconds until crumbly. Remove and set aside. Place another 10 Maltesers into TMX bowl and blitz again for 10 seconds on Speed 5 to produce fine crumbs. Add icing sugar, butter, Crisco and malt and combine well on Speed 4 for 10 seconds, or until smooth. Add milk if icing needs a little moisture for spreading but you want a frosting that ‘holds’. Spread frosting on cooled cake and decorate with extra whole and crushed Maltesers. Alternatively, slice cake in half and ice the centre as well as top of cake.
14 Comments for this entry
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I have heard so much about using beer in sweet baking but have been a bit wary. I think I may actually have a go at this one however, it looks incredible!
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Your cake looks fantastic! I’ve heard chocolate Guinness cakes is a great combination and have always wondered, can you taste the Guinness much?
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Monica Reply:
January 16th, 2012 at 7:24 pmThank you! You can’t taste the Guinness as you know it as a beverage but it does impart a real caramel/malt, dark deliciousness to the base cake.
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I have never tasted beer in a cake, but would like to see what it is like. Maltesers in cake though, I have tasted and it is so good:)
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Monica Reply:
January 16th, 2012 at 7:25 pmI’m so happy with the result that I don’t think I’ll make a chocolate cake without Guinness again! :D
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Oh yes, now that is an indulgence!!!
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Maltesers are a massive weakness of mine; I’d have to buy double to compensate for the ‘One for me, one for the cake’ rule. I’ve had the Nigella Guiness cake before and loved it. Looking forward to giving your recipe a go.
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Monica Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 1:22 pmIt sure is hard to resist Maltesers! I had to buy two bags in the end as I have little imps at home who steal them :| I think it’s worth giving light brown sugar a go in this cake as it gives an extra bit of caramel :D
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Your cake looks really decadent! I love how Guinness looks but I am not a fan of drinking it. I do use Guinness in some of my own recipes, I guess being Irish that was inevitable!
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Monica Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 1:20 pmThank you :) I think I will be using Guinness more often in stews and the like over winter. It’s quite possibly the ingredient that takes things to the next level :D
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This looks so delicious. Moist, rich and … Guiness?! Thanks!
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Monica Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 1:19 pmCould be the ultimate bloke’s chocolate cake?? Thanks ;)
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Have seen Guinness cake recipes for ages but have never tried one – I have an old stand by recipe that uses coffee – I’d imagine that the Guinness serves much the same purpose but adds even more richness. Great idea on the Malt icing – yum!
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Monica Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:16 pmYou’re quite right JJ except that I think coffee makes the cake undeniably mocha but Guinness give it a certain something :D I like using both.
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This looks amazing, Monica!! I love maltesers and think Guinness would go really well with chocolate. When I lived in London guinness with a shot of lime was my tipple of choice – purists may recoil in horror but Guinness works really well with a strong, sweet flavour. Will definitely have to give this a go. So glad you joined this bloghop!
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Monica Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:17 pmThanks and thanks for hosting! So much fun seeing what everyone else gets up to as well. I don’t mind a sip or two of Guinness but it’s a meal in itself :| I think I’ll keep a few bottles in the pantry for cake making from now on though!
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i saw some choc guinness cakes at sherbet when I was there last… and was tempted… now I have a recipe!
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Monica Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:18 pmOh do try it! I don’t think I’m going to bother making chocolate cake any other way :D
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Wow – I’ll bet everyone was hanging-out for dessert on Sunday. Looks and sounds amazing. Well done!
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Monica Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:28 pmThank you :) It was the least I could do for our lovely friends.
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What a wonderful recipe! The cake looks amazing and the Maltesers are a nice touch!
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Monica Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:29 pmThank you! I really had a hankering for Maltesers and wanted an icing that gave you that moreish malty taste.
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Yum, this looks amazing – I love the idea of the malty frosting.
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Monica Reply:
January 28th, 2012 at 7:33 pmThank you :) I think malt is so underrated (except at pubs…).
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Love the idea of using stout in cakes. I have been meaning to try something like this! Looks delish!!
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Monica Reply:
January 28th, 2012 at 7:30 pmThanks Carol-Anne :) I’m thinking stout is used in a lot of recipes in Ireland? I know I’m keen to make a Guinness stew this winter :D
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Monica Reply:
January 16th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Thanks and please do give beer a go. It imparts an interesting depth to chocolate recipes :D
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