Dark Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake

The generally low alcohol content of beer makes it very flavor forward, and craft brewing tends to highlight the ingredients even more intensely. Stouts and porters are thick, dark beers with flavor notes tending toward sweet roasted coffee, chocolate, and cola, which make them tempting to incorporate into baking. And we’re pros at giving in to temptation at Theo, especially if we think it will taste good!

Ingredients for cake:

• ¼ cup (¾ ounce) plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, divided
• 2 cups (9 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 cup stout, chocolate stout, or porter beer
• 6 ounces Theo Extra Bittersweet Baking Bar, chopped
• 2 cups packed (14 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for glaze:

• 5 ounces Theo 45% Milk Chocolate
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons stout, chocolate stout, or porter beer
• Generous 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions (makes one 10-inch Bundt cake):

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Lightly coat the inside of a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, then dust with the cocoa mixture. Tap the pan upside down to remove the excess, and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder, the beer, and chocolate, and whisk gently over medium heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, then whisk in the brown sugar, sour cream, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla, one ingredient at a time.
3. Sift the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and whisk well to blend. Make sure there are no lumps. Pour the batter (it will be very liquid) into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto the wire rack and let it cool completely before glazing.
4. To make the glaze, put the chocolate, cream, beer, and honey in a double boiler. When the chocolate starts to melt, whisk the mixture until it’s perfectly smooth. Remove the glaze from the heat and whisk in the butter. Let the glaze cool slightly at room temperature until it begins to thicken, whisking it occasionally. When it’s thick enough to leave a trail when you lift the whisk, slowly pour it over the cake, letting it run down the sides in an aesthetically pleasing way. When the glaze has stopped dripping, transfer the cake to a serving plate.