The Country Mink and The City Mink: Happy St. Patrick's Day with Cake!

A Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all. You don't have to be Irish to enjoy St. Patty's Day, as evident by the thousands cramming themselves into downtown Chicago in various states of green dress. I never saw the point in a drunken parade or green beer- really?! I love St. Patrick's Day because it means friends and family come together over some good food and a beer.

Even better is a meal finished by chocolate stout cake. Chocolate and dark beer is a match made in culinary heaven. Most versions of chocolate stout cake lean to heavily to the chocolate side or end up tasting like bitter beer. This year I found a recipe at relish.com that walks the line between the two and with the addition of currents you get a chocolate stout cake that has just the right level of sweetness. Here is the recipe, complete with pictures. It takes a *lot* of time, so you may want to bake this the day before the big event. Put on some Pogues and get down to it.

Guinness Stout Chocolate Layer Cake

Ingredients

Drizzling Syrup

1/3 cup Guinness Stout Beer (measure without foam)

1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar

3 tblspn Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tspn Vanilla Extract (Pure Vanilla, not imitation)

Cake

2/3 cup Guinness Stout Beer (measure without foam)

2/3 cup Currants (dried)

1/3 cup + 2 tblspn Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 ounces Semisweet Chocolate (cut into small pieces)

3/4 cup Buttermilk

1 3/4 cup + 2 tblspn Sugar

2 cups + 2 tblpsn All Purpose Flour

Cooking Spray

2/3 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)

4 eggs

1 1/2 tspn Vanilla Extract (Pure Vanilla)

1 1/2 tspn baking Soda

1 1/2 tspn Baking Powder

1/4 tspn Salt

1/2 cup Currant jelly (warmed to room temperature)

Bittersweet Icing

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

6 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate (Finely Chopped)

4 1/2 tblspn Powdered Sugar

4 1/2 tblspn Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 tspn Vanilla Extract

1/8 tspn Salt

1 cup Chopped Walnuts

Instructions

To prepare drizzling syrup, combine all of the "Drizzling Syrup" ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan, whisking until smooth. Heat over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is smooth. Set aside.

Making the "syrup"

For the cake-pour stout over currants, cover and soak until plump. Drain the currants, reserving stout. Add the stout to a small saucepan. Whisk in 1/3 cup cocoa and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, add the semisweet chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts. Cool slightly and then stir in the buttermilk.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Coat two 8" round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with this mixture.

This prevents the cake from sticking.

Beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 3/4 cup sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. I recommend cracking them in a small bowl first to prevent egg shells! Beat in vanilla.

Combine 2 cups flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the chocolate-buttermilk mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in currants.

Don't worry if the batter looks slightly curdled.

Divide batter between the two pans (I used a scale to weigh my batter to equal proportions). Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooded pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then invert the cake onto the racks. This is easier if you have two small racks.

Poking holes for the liquid

Poke holes in the tops of the cakes with a skewer and spoon drizzling syrup over the tops. Leave on the racks until they are cool, about 30 minutes. Place one layer on a plate and spread the warm jam over it. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

The currant jam helps cut through all of the chocolate

While cake is chilling, make the icing. Bring cream to a boil. Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl, pour the boiling cream over it and whisk until the chocolate melts and is thoroughly combines. Cover tightly and chill. Chill your beaters from your stand mixture at the same time too. Whip chocolate mixture in stand mixer. When soft peaks form, sift in confectioners sugar and cocoa. Add vanilla and salt. Continue whipping until combined.