Have you ever enjoyed a peanut butter cup with a pint of Guinness? The salty peanut butter chocolate combination paired with the stout is a winning combination. Now imagine all of that in a cake form.
Earlier this year, we visited the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and as a memento of our trip, I purchased Caroline Hennessy’s The Official Guinness Cookbook (2021). It has been fun making some recipes with Guinness at home.
Did you know that Guinness produces many types of beer in addition to their most famous Draught? This recipe calls for Guinness Extra Stout which I was able to find in bottles at my local Wegmans. In 1821, Arthur Guinness II (the founder’s son) first brewed Guinness Extra Superior Porter which is now Guinness Extra Stout. It’s a “stouter kind of porter” as they said back in the day and a bit higher in alcohol (5.6% vs. 4.2% in Guinness Draught). The taste is “crisp and balanced with bitter, sweet, roasted notes and a dry finish” per Guinness.com. Ed is a big traditional Guinness fan and very much enjoyed the different flavor profile of the Guinness Extra Stout.
While I was mixing the peanut butter cake batter, the smell reminded me of Nutter Butter cookies and brought me back to my childhood. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Nutter Butter cookie. I topped the peanut butter cake with Guittard’s 70% Bittersweet Chocolate as I’m partial to dark chocolate. You can use semisweet or milk chocolate if you prefer.
Given that we are days away from Halloween, there might be a peanut butter cup or two in your future and with just a little bit of effort, you could enjoy this cake as well.
| Guinness Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake | Print |
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout
- 2 ounces dark chocolate (55% or higher), chopped (see Notes)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan (ceramic, glass or metal) and line with parchment paper. This makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan.
- In a large bowl using a wooden spoon, mix the butter, brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and Kosher salt.
- Gently stir the flour mixture into the large bowl with the batter until combined.
- Carefully stir in the stout. Be careful that it doesn’t splash out of the bowl.
- Transfer the batter to the prepare pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
- Place chopped chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl.
- Once the cake is cooled, add heavy cream to a small saucepan. Heat cream over medium heat until it’s just about to bowl (you’ll see little bubbles forming along the sides of the pan).
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Whisk unit the chocolate and cream are smooth and glossy.
- Remove the parchment paper from the cake and place the cake back on the wire rack.
- Carefully pour the glaze over the cake, smoothing it to the sides. Some may drip off the cake. Let sit for about 30 minutes so the glaze sets.
- Transfer cake to a square plate. Refrigerate cake. Can be prepared a day in advance. Take cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to eating. It’s fine if it sits at room temperature longer.
Source: Adapted from Caroline Hennessy’s The Official Guinness Cookbook (2021)
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