Chocolate Stout Cake

from Paul Hagin,

This recipe is supposed to make 3 8" diameter cakes...you can make one
big bundt cake like I did, or you could make a 9x13" sheet cake and have

some leftover for cupcakes...mmmm, cupcakes.

Anyway, first you're gonna want to make the frosting...it's easy.
Here's what you need:
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
12 oz. of bittersweet or dark chocolate

Here's what you do:
Bring the cream to a slow simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.
Break the chocolate into little pieces.
Remove the cream from the stove and stir in the chocolate until it's all

melty and good.
Put the frosting in the freezer for a couple of hours, then transfer it
to the fridge.

Okay, now it's time for the cake...preheat your oven to 350F.
Here's what you need:
2 cups of oatmeal stout (Guiness is a bad choice-see note at the end)
2 sticks of butter
1.5 cups of cocoa, like Hershey's
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4 cups of flour
4 cups of sugar
1 Tblsp. baking soda
1.5 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1.5 cups of half'n'half

Here's what you do:
Butter and flour whatever pans you're going to use...if you don't you'll

end up with a F-ugly cake, and nobody likes F-ugly cake.

In a medium saucepan, combine stout, butter, and cocoa over medium heat,

stirring occasionally, until well blended. Set aside.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a big freakin' bowl. Make a well in
the center for all of the wet ingredients.

Add the eggs, half'n'half, and the stout mixture.

Mix until just blended...don't mix it too much or your cake will come
out all elasticky and weird.

Dump it into your pans and throw it in the oven until a toothpick or
sharp knife comes out not-quite clean.

Cool for half an hour before inverting onto a wire rack. Letting it cool

is important because it makes the cake less likely to stick to the pan.

invite some friends over, and pig out!
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A note about choices of stout...
I've had the best luck with oatmeal stouts...they seem to blend the
best.
As a backup choice I'd use Murphy's stout...it's nice and creamy.
I wouldn't use Guiness...in my experience, Guiness has caused the cake
to have some weird acidic aftertaste...if you used different baking
cocoa Guiness might be okay...but you'd have to experiment.