The whole thing is finished with a shiny chocolate glaze to create a stunning centrepiece
Ingredients
For the sponge
50g cocoa powder
200ml Guinness or stout
175g plain flour
1.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
175g soft dark brown sugar
110g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
2 large eggs
Step-by-Step Guide
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Stir the cocoa powder into the Guinness and set aside. Sift together the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Beat the butter and sugar in a food mixer for five minutes until creamed. Add the eggs one at a time then add the cocoa powder and Guinness. Fold in the flour and bicarb a little at a time. Grease and line an 8 inch cake tin and pour the batter into the tin. Bake for about half an hour until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Slice the cake in two through its centre to end up with two round discs. For the chocolate sabayon cream filling. 335ml double cream 235g dark chocolate, chopped 50g egg 100g egg yolks 85g granulated sugar Whisk the cream to soft peaks and refrigerate until needed. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over pan of simmering water and then leave to cool slightly. Set up another bain marie (a bowl of water over a pan of simmering water) and whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until they have started to thicken and cook. Take care not to over cook then mixture and remove it from the heat once it reaches 83 degrees. Whisk a third of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate then fold in the egg mixture. Add the remaining cream and transfer to a piping bag. For the chocolate glaze (make only when the cake is assembled) 7g leaf gelatin 150g double cream 225g granulated sugar 180ml water 75g cocoa powder, sifted Bloom the gelatin in iced water. Add the cream, sugar and water to a pan and bring to the boil. Add the cocoa powder and simmer for fifteen minutes or until the mixture has reduced by a third. Remove from the heat, wring out any excess water from the gelatin and whisk into the mixture. Keep warm To assemble the cake Pipe the chocolate cream filling onto one of the sponge discs and top with the second sponge. Pipe more of the chocolate cream over the top and sides of the cake. Use a palette knife to smooth the cream into an even layer then transfer the cake to a wire rack and then freezer for at least an hour. The cold chocolate cream will allow the glaze to set almost instantly. Once the cake has been in the freezer for at least an hour, make the chocolate glaze. Allow to cool slightly then pour the glaze slowly over the cake. Let the glaze set for a few minutes, transfer the cake to a platter and serve.
