Guinness Chocolate Cake with Kahlua-Chocolate Ganache

A few weeks ago I got this idea in my head that one could make a cake with beer and it would taste good, and I haven’t been able to forget this crazy idea. Maybe it isn’t so crazy, as I googled beer cake and did find a few possibilities. I decided to make my own chocolate-beer cake, selecting Guinness as the beer of choice – a tasty, chocolate stout that would mix well with chocolate, deepening the flavor of the cake, and being just as tasty to drink what didn’t end up in the cake. ☺ I also experimented with using less sugar, to bring out the flavor the Guinness, and the result was a moist cake with a subtle beer flavor that was complemented well with the sweeter Kahlua ganache topping (Baileys would have been great in the ganache as well!) Overall, this recipe yielded 6 small bundts and two cupcakes with the leftover batter.

Guinness Chocolate Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
½ Cup butter flavored shortening
1¼ - 2 Cups sugar (I used less because I wanted the flavor of the Guinness to come out more but adding the full 2 cups would also be delicious ☺)
¾ Cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup ½ and ½
2 eggs
1¼ cup Guinness
2½ tsp Vanilla

In a large bowl, cream together Crisco and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate smaller bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and powder until mixed. To creamed Crisco/sugar/eggs, add dry ingredients and liquids, and mix well. Grease pans (I chose small bundt pans) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven on the top rackfor approximately 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and remove from pan, level the bottom of the bundts with a serrated knife, turn right-side up and glaze with ganache:

Chocolate-Kahlua Ganache
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 tblsp butter
2 tblsp ½ and ½
1 tblsp Kahlua
1 tblsp powdered sugar

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave, mixing periodically to ensure even melting and to make sure the chocolate doesn’t over-cook. You can also use a double boiler on the stove to avoid obliterating your chocolate, but a microwave is completely sufficient as long as you have either a watchful eye or are an impatient cook (like me!). Stir in ½ and ½, powdered sugar and kahlua, mixing well. Spoon/drizzle over small bundts. Additionally, melt a small amount of white chocolate, and drizzle over the top of the chocolate-kahlua glaze.