Guiness Chocolate Cake

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_guinness_cake/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD

1 Preheat oven, prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

2 Heat Guinness, butter, add cocoa and sugar: In a large saucepan place the stout and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

3 Beat sour cream, eggs, vanilla, then add to stout butter mixture: In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-stout mixture and whisk together.

4 Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, add to stout-butter mixture: In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the stout-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together.

5 Bake: Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the countertop to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes.

6 Cool: Allow to cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan and pop the ring off the springform.

7 Top:  Dust with powdered sugar.

8 Serve:  Dollop whipped cream (maybe spiked with Bailey’s)

Snickerdoodles

JOSH’S SNICKERDOODLES – Yields 3 dozen small cookies  Josh’s snicker doodles have very good taste, but tend to puff up a lot and tend to be a bit more cakey than chewy.  Probably due to the baking powder.

Combine the dry ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup (330 g) flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

In a separate bowl:

• Cream 2 sticks of butter, slightly softened but still cool with
  • 1 1/4 cup (248 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (53 g) dark brown sugar
• Beat in 1 egg and
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add dry ingredients in 3 portions, mix until just combined.  DO NOT OVERMIX!

Chill for 30-60 minutes to firm up the dough

Scoop into 1-1.5 TBSP balls and roll in 3 TBSP sugar + 3 TBSP sugar + 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  One baking sheet can hold about 18 cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed and lift off the cookie sheet.  They do not darken much.

Let cool and transfer to cooling rack

SNICKERDOODLES FROM ATK – Yields 2 dozen cookies  These cookies were a success as part of the holiday cookie lineup in 2020.  Nice and chewy, and flatter than Josh’s

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon (not in original recipe)
• 8 TBSP softened butter
• 8 TBSP vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 2 eggs
• Cinnamon sugar coating:  1/4 cup sugar + 1 TBSP cinnamon + pinch of salt

Beat butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy (3 min on stand mixer).  Add eggs and continue beating.  Add dry ingredients and incorporate until well distributed.

Roll into 2 TBSP balls, then generously roll in cinnamon sugar coating.  Space out on baking sheet 2″ apart.

Bake at 375 degrees 8-12 minutes, until edges are just set but centers are still soft, puffy and cracked (should look underdone between the cracks).  Let cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.