In about 10 days, the streets of NYC will be filled with drunk people wearing green clothing and shamrocks. Me? I’ll be hiding at home, putting my booze into good use: food. Oh yeah, a few bottles of Guinness go a long way: beef stew, chili, bread, onion rings, soup and, wait for it, chocolate cake! ? And, okay, I admit it. Maybe we will drink a glass or two. But I definitely won’t be joining the bar hopping crowd, as my “getting shit face drunk” days are way behind me. Nowadays, it’s all about the food for me! If you’re looking for something to get in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day, I highly recommend this Guinness Chocolate Cake. While you can’t taste the beer in the final product, the Guinness does give it a slight stouty “twang” malty flavor that just makes this cake incredibly delicious!
I’m not really sure how authentic Guinness Chocolate Cake is. The truth is most of the dishes Americans perceive as “traditional Irish food” are not entirely representative of actual Irish food. Like corned beef and cabbage for example, which is as Irish as spaghetti and meatballs. So I wouldn’t be surprised if this cake was just a non-authentic twist on some tradition imported from the Emerald Isle, created by Irish-Americans.
However, authentic or not, once you bite into this intense chocolate cake, it won’t matter, I promise. This cake is luscious, rich but not too heavy and oh-so-chocolate-y! Chances are it will be one of the best chocolate cakes you have ever tasted.
Most Guinness Chocolate Cake recipes are served with cream cheese frosting. I decided to go with whipped ganache, because I’m a (never recovering) chocoholic and thought I could make this cake even more delicious and decadent. As you probably already noticed, cake decorating is not one of my fortes. So please believe me when I say that even though this is not the prettiest cake you’ve ever seen, it is definitely the yummiest! Just be careful to not leave it unattended for a long time, or a leprechaun might steal it! ??
