Rich Stout Cake

By popular demand, here's the recipe for Green & Black's Rich Stout Cake. It's on page 85 of Green & Black's Chocolate Recipes book but there's no picture of it in the book or one I can post as the cake has all been eaten in our house. Notes (in brackets) in the recipe are my own to you, fellow cake baker. It's a gloriously rich, moist cake that isn't over sweet because of the Guinness.

225g (8 oz) butter, softened

350g (12 oz) soft dark brown sugar

4 eggs, beaten

225g (8 oz) plain flour

half a teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

400ml (14 fl oz) Guinness or stout (allow the head to settle before using - very important)

100g (3.5 oz) cocoa powder

150g (5 oz) dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, grated

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4

2. Butter and line a DEEP 9" cake tin with greasproof paper (such a faff but worth doing)

3. Cream butter and sugar and gradually add beaten eggs. (Never worry if you curdle, you can always beat your way out of it, or cry with frustration as you chuck it down the sink).

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

5. Mix together the Guinness and cocoa in a jug. The recipe notes: You will have to persevere with mixing. (You will). Add the grated chocolate.

6. Add the flour and the Guinness mixture alternately to the cake mixture, stirring between each addition until completely mixed. The consistency will be soft (very soft).

7. Spoon into a deep 9" cake tin and bake for 1 - 1.25 hours. (It took our decent oven over 2 hours to cook thoroughly) until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. You may need to cover the cake with foil or greaseproof paper after about 1 hour to prevent the top from browning.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire reack to cool.

9. (Enjoy).