Guinness Cake

Guinness Cake

I discovered the recipe for this chocolate and Guinness cake through an NPR feature on British cookbook author Nigella Lawson and her favorite St. Patrick's Day treats. The cup of stout gives it moistness and a subtle depth of flavor--not the exactly the boozy wallop of, say, a rum baba, but rather what Lawson calls, "a resonant, ferrous tang." Plus, it lends itself to visual puns; Lawson recommends a faux froth of cream cheese frosting, while I opted for a simpler dusting of powdered sugar.