Nigella Lawson's GBBO Stout Cake

Shopping list

• 250 ml (one cup) Guinness

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• 250 g (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

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• 75 g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder

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• 400 g (2 cups) caster (super fine) sugar

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• 150 ml (2/3 cup) full fat sour cream

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• 2 large eggs (not fridge cold)

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• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

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• 275 g (2 cups) plain (all purpose) flour

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• 2.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

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• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)

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• FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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• 300 g (8 ounces) full fat cream cheese

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• 150 g (1 1/4 cups) icing (confectioners') sugar

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• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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• 125 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream

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Step by step

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 23cm (9 inch) springform cake tin.

2. 2

   Pour the Guinness into a large, wide saucepan and add the butter. Melt slowly over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. 3

   As soon as the butter has melted, whisk in the cocoa powder and caster sugar.

4. 4

   In a medium jug or bowl, beat the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract together. Pour this mixture into the pan of Guinness and melted butter and whisk well.

5. 5

   Sieve together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and instant espress powder, if using. I know this is a pain, but it will help eliminate lumps forming in the cake batter. Whisk the dry ingredients into the pan of wet ingredients. As soon as you have a smooth batter and no pockets of flour remain, stop whisking.

6. 6

   Pour the cake batter into the lined tin and bake for 45- 60 minutes or until the cake has risen and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake emerges with no wet batter.

7. 7

   Place the cake tin on a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely in the tin.

8. 8

   To make the frosting, lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, then sieve in half of the icing sugar. Beat until smooth, then add the remaining icing sugar and beat until smooth. Pour in the vanilla extract and double cream and beat until you have a light, smooth frosting.

9. 9

   To assemble the cake, carefully remove it from the tin and peel off the baking paper. Set the cake on a serving plate, then top with the cream cheese frosting, swirling the top with a small palette knife to make it look like the top of a pint of Guinness.