Chocolate Stout Cake – Day 4 of Chocolate Week

*UPDATED 12/26/2011*

I first saw this recipe on Deb’s Smitten Kitchen a while back, and bookmarked it.  Then forgot about it.  Luckily, I saw it on Jenn’s Use Real Butter recently, and that gave me the kick in the pants I needed to make this delicious, moist, easy, incredible chocolate cake.  Jenn and Deb weren’t kidding – this bundt cake is amazing, and I plan on making it a lot in the future.  I am not a big fan of layer cakes, but I love a good bundt cake, and this one is the best chocolate bundt cake I’ve ever had.  Plain.  No ganache, no frosting, just a dusting of powdered sugar.  My husband asked if I wanted him to take it in to work – my usual method of getting these things out of the house – and let’s just say, I said “no.”  Actually, I said, “NO WAY!”

I used a coffee-chocolate stout, so I did not add any extra espresso crystals to the batter, my usual modus operandi when it comes to chocolate desserts.  All I can say is, you have to make this cake!

Chocolate Stout Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Use Real Butter, all via Bon Appetit, who got it from Barrington Brewery, Great Barrington, MA

1 cup (240g) stout (I used a chocolate coffee stout)
1 cup (225g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (85g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process – I’ve started using Pernigotti recently, and it has profoundly changed my cooking with cocoa – for the better)
2 cups (305g) flour
2 cups (450g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp (9g) baking soda
3/4 tsp (5g) salt
2 extra large eggs
2/3 cup (150g) plain kefir (I used low fat, and it worked out great)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 12-cup bundt pan very well.  I used a baking spray because I have better results that way, as the cake will not stick in the nooks and crannies of the bundt pan. Place the butter and the stout in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium melt the butter slowly over low heat.  You do not want to evaporate too much liquid because it will result in a drier cake. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs and the sour cream kefir together until well-blended. Stir the egg and sour cream kefir mixture into the stout mixture until just blended. Fold in the dry ingredients until combined. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely before releasing. Serve dusted with powdered sugar, or with a spoonful of whipped cream, or frosted with ganache.

Whipped cream
1 cup (250g) heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp (12.5g) sugar

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip to medium peaks.

Ganache glaze
6 oz (170g) good semisweet chocolate chips
6 tbsps (95g) heavy cream
3/4 tsp (3g) instant coffee granules

Over a simmering water bath, gently stir chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee until smooth. Pour over the cake.