Three Reasons to Celebrate – One Great Chocolate Guinness Cake

Hey, kids, watch as I weave together St. Patrick’s Day, Women’s History Month and Whole Grains Sampling Day to prove that Guinness is good for you. Hang in there; there’s chocolate at the end.

Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day, the magical day when we all become Irish, so remember — Guinness is good for you (and it’s vegan).

Chocolate is good for you, too (and much of it is vegan). Then there’s vegan chocolate Guinness cake. It’s totally vegan and really good. The recipe is adapted with permission from Fran Costigan, vegan pastry legend and my friend, who created the justly famed Bittersweet Ganache-Glazed Chocolate Torte to Live For.

Fran didn’t invent vegan desserts; she just made ones you actually want to eat. And she’s paved the way for next-gen vegan pastry chefs like Maya Madsen of Maya’s Cookies and Carolina Molea of L’Artisane Bakery.

Women’s History Month honors the efforts of every woman. Together, we are making history. We are the path forward. But we couldn’t have gotten this far without those who’ve come before and did some heavy lifting. Celebrate Women’s History Month by supporting the women in your life and in your field.  Honor the women who made what you do possible.  And while you’re at it, have a slice of vegan chocolate Guinness cake. Guinness is made from malted barley, so it’s an unusual but perfectly acceptable way to participate in Whole Grains Sampling Day, March 31. Beats green beer. Sláinte.

Vegan Chocolate Guinness Cake, with thanks to Fran Costigan.

Make Fran’s fabulous and foolproof recipe for Bittersweet Ganache-Glazed Chocolate Torte to Live For. Skip the plant-based milk and the cider vinegar.  Substitute a bottle of Guinness.

Pour the Guinness or other dark stout into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.  Guinness will froth, so keep your eyes on the prize. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until Guinness turns even more syrupy than it is when it comes out of the bottle and measures 3/4 cup.

Proceed with the recipe as written. Want more vegan chocolate desserts?  Get Fran’s book, Vegan Chocolate.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

This recipe is adapted, with permission from Fran Costigan's Bittersweet Ganache Glazed Chocolate Torte to Live For.

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Course Dessert

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup organic granulated sugar finely ground in a blender
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup mild tasting extra-virgin olive oil or organic neutral vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup Grade B or dark amber
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract optional
• 1 bottle Guinness

Instructions

 

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Oil the sides and bottom of the cake pan and line the bottom with a parchment circle or paper cut to fit. Do not oil the paper.
• Pour the Guinness or other dark stout into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until Guinness turns syrupy and measures 3/4 cup.
• Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Add the pastry flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the strainer and stir with a whisk to sift the ingredients into the bowl. (If any small bits remain in the strainer, add them to the mixture in the bowl.) Whisk to aerate the mixture.
• Whisk the oil, maple syrup, vanilla, chocolate extract (if using), and reduced Guinness in a separate medium bowl until completely combined. Immediately pour into the dry mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into pan. Rotate the pan to level the batter and tap it lightly on the counter to get rid of some of the air bubbles.
• Bake the cake on the center rack for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the top of the cake is set, the sides have started to pull away from the pan, and a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
• Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Run a thin spatula around the sides of the cake to release the sides of the cake from the pan. Invert the layer onto the rack, remove the pan, and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Invert again, top side up on the rack, to cool completely. When the cake is completely cool, slide a cardboard circle or a flat plate underneath. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Notes

Fran glazed her cake with the most luscious chocolate ganache but I chose to decorate with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar and allow the flavor of the Guinness to shine through. You can find Fran's original cake recipe and the Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache Glaze at FranCostigan.com. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Happy Women’s History Month, and here’s to Whole Grains Sampling Day.

Join Fran Costigan, Jill Nussinow and me on 1 pm PT/4 pm ET, Monday, March 29, as we gear up for Whole Grains Sampling Day with a Facebook Live event.   

Thank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

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