Chocolate Stout & Cherry Cake with Mascarpone Icing

I feel like St Patrick's Day is celebrated more the St Georges in England. Maybe we love it because it's a great excuse for some excellent Guinness-fuelled shenanigans?

Either way, have a bit of cake with it, eh?

This is part of my Guinness-inspired bakes collection that will be added to gradually. It's a classic boozy chocolate sponge, topped with a beautiful creamy mascarpone icing, that mimics the frothy top. Stout gives chocolate cake a rich, malty, almost treacley flavour. But here I've slapped some cherries in it, to bring the Black Forest vibes.

Wash it down with a proper black coffee. And thank me later.

Chocolate Stout & Cherry Cake with Mascarpone

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

• 250ml stout - preferably Guinness if it's for St Patrick's day, but if you've got a good local brewery then of course support them by using their darkest.

• 250g butter or baking block

• 75g cocoa powder

• 400g sugar. Caster will work, but light brown soft will add a dense fudginess

• 150ml soured cream or plain full fat yogurt

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp good vanilla

• 275g plain flour

• 2.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

For the mascarpone icing and the filling:

• 500g mascarpone

• Couple of tablespoons plain yogurt

• 100g icing sugar

• 2 tsp good vanilla

• Jar of cherry jam

  
  

Method:

1. Grease and line an 8" cake tin. Switch the oven on to 170C/150C fan and put the rack in the lower middle part of the oven.

2. Get a big pan, gently melt the butter or baking block, then whisk in the stout. Remove from the heat.

3. In a mixing bowl, weight the cocoa and sugar, then whisk into the pan.

4. Then use that bowl to sift together your flour and bicarb.

5. Beat together the sour cream or yogurt, eggs and vanilla. Whisk these into the pan until well combined, then gently fold in the flour and bicarb.

6. Pour into the tin. If it's a loose bottom, place it on a baking sheet so the batter doesn't escape.

7. Bake for up to an hour until the middle springs back and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for an hour or it'll fall apart!

8. Meanwhile make the icing: Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Give it a taste and add a little more yogurt if you wish.

9. Once the cake is cooled, split in half and fill with the cherry jam. Place it on a nice serving plate and top with the icing. Swirl the jam through with a small palette knife.