Featured Recipe: Chocolate Stout Cake With Cream Cheese/Mascarpone Frosting
Chocolate Stout Cake with Cream Cheese/Mascarpone Frosting
An amazing cook, Liz aka mrslarkin on food52 posted this recipe a while ago. I had made a mental note to try it, but forgot until the other day when I saw her tweet a picture of the cake she made for her daughters birthday. It looked so good I just had to make it, she added red gel color to make it a red velvet cake and frosted with cream cheese icing. I asked her if I could feature the cake here and she graciously gave me permission. I think what really makes this cake special is the addition of Guinness Stout, strong coffee, sour cream and butter. It’s so moist, tender and flavorful with a wonderful crumb and it’s not overwhelmingly sweet either, honestly, its one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had. I’ve talked about the cake now let me tell you about Liz, she is a tremendously talented cook and baker, she is the Pound Ridge Scone Lady, you can find her selling her delicious scones and baked goods every week at the farmers market. She is a contest winner on Food52 whose recipe for Lemon Posset was published in the first Food52 cookbook. You will also find her recipe for Butternut Sage Scones which will be in the second Food52 cookbook due out this October. When you just have to have a cookie, why not make her addictive and delicious Chubby Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can view all 134 of Liz’s recipes on Food52. Be prepared you will want to make all of them, and be sure to look her up if you are ever in Pound Ridge New York at the farmers market and sample her delicious baked goods.
Makes: A 9 inch layer cake or 24 cupcakes
The Cake:
1/2 cup Guinness Stout
1/2 cup espresso, or strong black coffee
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar (press out any lumps)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (press out any lumps)
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cups sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set oven rack to middle. Butter two 9 inch round baking pans, line with parchment, then butter again and dust with flour or unsweetened cocoa powder.
Warm the stout and coffee. I do this in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, then add butter and stir until melted. Add cocoa powder and vanilla, and stir till combined.
In large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking soda and salt.
n mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together the eggs and sour cream. Pour in chocolate mixture and mix slowly. Gradually add flour mixture and gently mix until it is all combined. Pour batter into baking pans dividing evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes. Check with a cake tester to be sure – it should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pan(s) and set on cooling rack to cool completely.
Liz made a cream cheese frosting for the cake, I used the recipe I always use.
Cream Cheese,Mascarpone Frosting:
6 oz cream cheese at room temperature
6 oz mascarpone at room temperature
6 oz butter at room temperature
Enough confectioners sugar to make it spreadable you can make it to suit your taste. I find it usually takes about 4-5 cups
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
In electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the cream cheese, mascarpone and butter until smooth, add the confectioners sugar a cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness and consistency, add the vanilla and beat just to combine.
Frost the completely cooled cake and enjoy!
apuginthekitchen 
Wow, this looks great! I’m so glad you featured it because this recipe somehow slipped my radar! I’m sure it’s delicious given that it’s a mrslarkin recipe and has your glowing endorsement!
It’s so good, from now on when I make a chocolate cake this will be the recipe I use. One of the best I’ve had. Thanks so much. I had been meaning to bake it for a long time and was so happy to see mrslarkins tweet with the picture.
Thank you so much, Suzanne!! I am honored. We still have a small hunk of cake left, and will probably fight over the last few bites. Can’t wait to make it again. So glad you liked it.
It’s easily the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for letting me feature your recipe. It’s delicious!
This cake is beautiful! How gorgeous is the frosting to cake contrast 😀
This is simply drool worthy!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you so much, yes I love the dark chocolate with the creamy white frosting. I love contrasting colors.
Absolutely beautiful, and beautifully written.
Thank you so much
What a sweet post. Both for what you said about Liz and the cake. The cake sounds delicious. I might have to try it out now too.
Thank you it really is a wonderful cake!
I enjoy a chocolate stout on its own, but add it into my favorite chocolate cake and frost it with my favorite frosting, and I’m just done. Beautiful cake, thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much its truly a fantastic cake and I firmly believe its the stout that makes it so incredible.
I’m shocked that I missed this post! I love this cake! Drool! Thank you for always being so kind and supporting me. I wish you the best of luck with you next food52 submission 😉
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it and I love your recipes, always look forward to your new posts.
I haven’t had breakfast yet and I think I generous slice of this cake would be perfect! What a lovely cake and your photos are terrific – you have me craving it and I think I’ll need to make it soon. The chocolate and mascarpone sound divine together and the contrast is so pretty.
Thank you, it is a wonderful cake, but then anything mrslarkin does is fantastic. I love the mascarpone and cream cheese together it’s somewhat lighter than a traditional cream cheese icing.
I’d saved this fabulous sounding recipe of Liz’s on Food52, but then I forgot to make it. It looks so good. I have to make a birthday cake for someone in a couple weeks, and I’m going to have to make this one. Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is my favorite. Beautiful photos, Suzanne!!!
Your blog is wonderful!! This cake is scrumptious. I cannot believe I missed this from my many views to your blog. Coffee, beer, and cocoa- WOW!
Thank you so much, it is a wonderful cake. I know, how can you go wrong with coffee beer and chocolate. Thank you again.