on Mar 13th, 2008Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness cake
This delicious cake is from Nigella Lawson’s Feast and I’ll be making it again for St. Patrick’s Day, the fourth year in a row. The recipe was in the The New York Times in late 2004 and it was such a hit — people inhaled it — I bought the book.
With its chocolate base and whipped cream top, it resembles a frothy glass of Guinness. There’s some good Guinness in it but I really don’t taste it. It’s a rich cake, very rich. The first time I made it I thought of using low-fat sour cream in the cake batter but figured with butter in the cake and cream cheese and heavy cream in the frosting, what was the point? It’s a once-a-year treat.
My only quibble with this cake is that, like several of hers, it seems to be overleavened, resulting in a sunken center when the cake cools. So now I use just 2 scant teaspoons of baking powder instead of the 2 1/2 the recipe calls for.
The Times article with this recipe, along with her recipes for Georgian Stuffed Chicken and Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies, neither of which I’ve tried, can be found here. A link to Lawson’s website is in the blogroll; this cake is not on her site but many others are.
Slainte!
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Nigella is such a hottie. I don’t know how she keeps her curves with the stuff she makes, and yes, she is a good example of the female body in its prime.
And all that eating leftovers in the middle of the night, really.
I don’t think she’s running either.
Another example of decadence running amok, and deservedly so.
Thanks for sharing. I think.
Blue Smoke of Paradise’s last blog post..Salon obituary on Buckley.
Oh, I know! One of the British tabloids ran a story last year claiming she’s really a size 0 or something but wears padding on the air.
Yeah, right…
Nigella’s recipes are deliciously decadent! While watching her on TV though, I find her measuring of ingredients to be somewhat vague and imprecise. For soup, stews and savory dishes that’s OK but when it comes to baking, that presents a real problem.
That’s an astute observation. I wonder if it’s because her shows are filmed for people in the rest of the world measuring by weight and then there’s us, Luddites, using volumetrics. I’ve noticed the last year or so Alton Brown has become a convert to weighing and I suspect, but certainly don’t know, his show is being syndicated overseas.
Regardless, I think the camera work on Nigella’s shows is amazing and certainly influenced shows such as Barefoot Contessa.
Good to see you and have a great weekend!
Sour cream, butter, cream cheese, Guinness? I am all over this one! Yum!!
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Don’t forget the whipping cream! Oy, is this luscious.
Good to see you, lin.
OK. I’ve had Guinness. I’ve had chocolate cake. Never would I have thought of combining them, whatever the provocation (like, having too much Guinness to start with). However, I trust you, ella, and if you and Ms. Lawson believe this will be good for my taste buds shall I refuse the opportunity?
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Don’t refuse, Muse! People always ask for this recipe. Plus, you’ll part of a bottle of Guinness left over for you.