The trick to this cake is using a dark cocoa, which imparts a depth of flavour and a striking colour. You can use just about any stout in the recipe, but I chose to go with Ashton Brewery’s Vanilla Stout — a creamy brew with a hint of vanilla, the remainder of which will make a great pairing to this not-too-sweet cake.
Instructions
For the cake
1 cup stout, pick your favourite
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup dark cocoa
2 cups sugar
¾ cup sour cream or yogurt
2 eggs
1 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 12 by 12-inch cake pan by first buttering the sides and bottom of the pan, and then dusting it with a small amount of flour.
In a metal bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Heat the beer and butter in a pot, just until the butter has melted. Remove from heat.
Whisk together the sugar and cocoa. Add the mixture to the beer and whisk until smooth. Add the egg mixture and the flour and baking soda, mixing it all together just until smooth. Fill the cake pan with the mixture and bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before taking it out of the mould.
For the cocoa shards
½ cup cocoa nibs
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup water
Cocoa powder (for dusting)
For the caramel
Make sure that the equipment used is very clean as a single granule of contaminant could cause your sugar to crystallize prematurely. Heat the sugar and water together over medium-high heat. Do not stir or disturb the sugar mixture until it begins to colour (this indicates that the heat is high enough and the caramel is becoming stable) when a light honey colour shows, begin to lightly swirl the pot to ensure the caramel cooks evenly. When the caramel reaches a rich Amber tone remove it from the heat and pour it out on to a silpat or parchment paper lined cookie tray to cool.
Use a torch or the broiler setting on your oven to toast the cocoa nibs for 3 to 5 minutes or until a dark brown colour has been reached. (The cocoa nibs should be fragrant at this point) set aside to cool. Dust the caramel with the cocoa powder and allow it to cool before breaking into shards.
For the marmalade
3 blood oranges
1 cup sugar
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
¼ cup water
Use a small, sharp paring knife and remove the top and bottom of the orange so it sits flat, making it easier to remove the remainder of the skin, cutting all the way down to the flesh. Chop the peel into small, thin pieces. Combine the skins, sugar, molasses and water in a pot and simmer until sugar has dissolved and the liquid is thick and syrupy. Cut the flesh of the oranges into half wedges and add them to the syrup. Cook for 30 minutes on low.
