Chocolate Rum Cake

[boar_d_laze]

I use a bottle of Guinness in the broth for corned beef and cabbage. Even there, I have to balance its bitterness with molasses (molasses is what makes brown sugar brown and makes it different than white sugar). So ... I do like Guinness and molasses and salt.

I also like many bitter tastes. For instance, I drink several shots of black, unsweetened espresso every morning. Strong, even by espresso standards. I like the odd glass, er pint, okay pitcher of Guinness almost as much as the next boy-o (I'm a boychik myself), but wouldn't consider it as accompaniment to a chocolate dessert.

When I tried the cake a few St. Paddy's Days ago I was unhappy with it for its bitter background, which was not the bitterness of dark chocolate; and also for its saltiness, crumb, dryness, and lack of richness. In fact, it was more a salty, bitter-sweet quick bread than a cake. My memory is inexact, but as I recall we tossed it rather than finish it. In fact, I think the aura of disappointment was so great, there was discussion about smoking something or other rather than getting drunk. But it was St. Paddy's Day -- memory is hazy. Did I mention I'm having trouble remembering what exactly happened that particular evening? I forget.


BDL

On Edit: It occurs to me that qahtan might be using a different sort of baking powder. Hmmmmmmm. I wonder.

[qahtan]

You know I really can't understand this, when I have made this cake every one has raved about it.
It is moist, very rich, dark, super......
I do think many people confuse this with the taste and texture of a boxed cake mix. which I never use. I have tasted Devils food cake and that to me was atrocious. but to each his own.

I used Calumet B/P, German Chocolate and Van Houten cocoa. The Guinness I use is a can of Guinness.

I must admit I do like a dollop of fresh whipped cream on the side of a slice
which goes well with the taste of the chocolate. But I think I stated this before.

I do NOT add salt to any of my recipes as I mostly use salted butter, But that I feel should be the choice of who ever is making the cake, some people put salt in every thing , I don't.
I am there fore very disappointed that so many of you dislike the cake, beginning to wish I had never posted it. :-(((( ;-(((( qahtan

[qahtan]

Check the engredients.....

225g (8 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
350g (12 oz) soft brown sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
4 eggs, beaten
400 ml (14 fl oz) stout (Guinness)
225g (8 oz) plain flour
100g (4 oz) cocoa

No salt >........ qahtan

[Norma]

BDL, for sure your memory is playing with you. Qahtan's cake was not salty. The taste of baking soda was too strong, it was kind of dry and tasteless. Since it had chocolate and Guinness, I was expecting something rich and flavorful. Some cakes have a tendency to improve after a few days, but this particular one, didn't. We ate it till the last slice, each day expecting some improvement, but there was none.
BTW, even though I printed that recipe at the first time I saw it here, I baked this cake just a few weeks ago, so my memory is fresh...

[Lisbet]

I want to thank"bored_d_laze" for his postings. Especially regarding the different types of rum...very helpful !! The only brand that I am familliar with is Myers. DH and I love the flavor of rum for baking and ice cream, and the artificial flavoring just won't do it !!

Does anyone know what the package of chocolate pudding mix (in the batter) is supposed to do for the finished cake?

[Norma]

At the back of the page where Qahtan's recipe is, I printed another one with Guinness stout. It is a Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes, I got it online but , sorry don't remember were. I have no idea if it is worth baking or not, but the ingredients look kind of good together.

1 bottle (12oz) Guinness stout
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 TBS vanilla
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Frosting:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 pound confectioners' sugar

Combine milk, Guinness, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
Beat the eggs, one at a time, mix in sour cream.
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Gradually mix dry ingredients with wet Guinness mixture.
Butter 24 muffin pans and divide the batter among them.
Bake @ 350F for around 25 minutes.

[qahtan]

This is just a couple of replys I received about "the" cake. qahtan


Great stuff, Gahtan!



It is good!! Thanks, qahtan! This is going to be my favourite chocolate cake. Smooth, cuts beautifully, very very moist with some rich malt taste. Jeremy, I made this 4 days in advance and froze it. Just thawed it overnight to serve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't refrigerate...it dries out the cake. Anything spiked with booze will be perfect-o for this cake. A dangerous cake.

p/s I shaved a bar of choc into the batter. Take it to the limit, baby

[boar_d_laze]

Salt is NaCl, Bicarbonate of Soda is NaHCO3. It's the sodium in each which makes both salty.

As to differing responses to the cake -- perhaps there are two recipes floating around. The cake we made didn't turn out well. qahtan's apparently does. Or, maybe it's just one of those quien sabe things. I'm not trying to invalidate or argue with anyone else's experience.

BDL

[Free Rider]

Originally Posted by Norma

Sorry Gahtan, I made that Rich Stout Cake and nobody liked it here. The flavor of baking soda was overpowering, and the cake was dry. I rather drink the beer. Please, don't say that I probably messed up with the ingredients. I have baked thousands of chocolate cakes before.

I've made it several times and did not have it come out dry and nor was the flavor of baking soda overpowering. Everyone I've given it to has really liked it (enough to ask me for the recipe and make it themselves). I live at 1000 feet above sea level and don't know if that affects things at all.

So, some like it and others not. Personally, I can't stand the taste of antifreeze and bleach in cake mixes (mostly the antifreeze, which is supposed to make the cake feel moist). Maybe I tolerate a cake that's dry because of that, even though I didn't find the stout cake to be dry.

[Norma]

You know what? Different bakers, same recipe, totally different results. Could be...
Anyway qahtan, Your genoise jelly roll with coffee filling looks delicious!

[Free Rider]

Originally Posted by Norma

You know what? Different bakers, same recipe, totally different results. Could be...
Anyway qahtan, Your genoise jelly roll with coffee filling looks delicious!

I'm not convinced the results are different.

I bake from scratch and I'm rather sensitive to the antifreeze in cake mixes. I can taste it from a mile away. Americans who have grown up on cake mixes think of it as normal and would find it odd if it were missing.

Cook's Illustrated did a cinnamon tasting recently. There were some 20 brands or something and all were cassia except for Penzey's Ceylon cinnamon, which is a true cinnamon. The tasters were all so used to cassia that one even called the true cinnamon a "wannabe".

So... I think we got the same results, but the perspective of our foodie history gives us a different interpretation of the results.

[Norma]

Hello Free Rider,

Everything I bake or cook, sweet or savory, is always from scratch. One of my son's friend one day picked inside my pantry and said "I have never seen a pantry like that, everything needs to be cooked"! Well except cereal, or a little something else. I really avoid things made for big corporations. Don't like franchises too. If I want to go out and eat, its always in an independent place.

[lentil]

Originally Posted by Norma

Hello Free Rider,

Everything I bake or cook, sweet or savory, is always from scratch. One of my son's friend one day picked inside my pantry and said "I have never seen a pantry like that, everything needs to be cooked"! Well except cereal, or a little something else. I really avoid things made for big corporations. Don't like franchises too. If I want to go out and eat, its always in an independent place.

Norma, where the heck were you when we were having the franchise discussion? I sure could have used you.....