Beer Brownies

There's no question that another great Irish tradition consists of adding delicious Guinness Beer to a cake batter, in order to make Chocolate Guinness Cake. That's a favorite enjoyed all over the world. But why limit this to cake? Amy Traverso, who's the senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Chocolate Stout Brownies. Amy told Tonia it took her 8 tries to get this right, but now she's passing along what to do. And interestingly, Amy says the Guinness takes on a gingerbread flavor when added to a batter, which is a delicious surprise!

Yield:

12 to 16 servings

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Guinness or other stout
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Take a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and cut 2 lengths of parchment paper to fit in the pan but long enough to hang over the sides by a few inches. Lay them in the pan, one in each direction, so they cover the bottom.

In a 3- or 4-quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the stout and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. (Each addition will lower the temperature of the batter.) Whisk in the eggs.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir with a spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the brownies are set in the center and beginning to pull away from the sides, 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan and then transfer to a rack or plate to cool completely.

You Can Have Your Guinness, And Eat It Too!

  



As we approach St. Patrick's Day, let's turn our attention to something very appropriate, Guinness Cake!   Clodagh McKenna, who authored her new book Clodagh's Irish Kitchen told Tonia  she takes eggs, butter and flour, and combines it altogether with some delicious Guinness Beer!  She also uses lots of cocoa and buttermilk because the former's sweetness offsets the bitterness of the Guinness Beer and the latter provides a fluffy texture.  Bake it altogether and create a vanilla and cream cheese icing.  Clodagh says it's one of her very favorites!



2 1/4 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups Guinness stout beer
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the frosting:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups cream cheese (don’t use low-fat for this)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 12-inch round springform pan with parchment paper. 

Make the cake: Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Stir in the Guinness, then remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Slowly mix in the Guinness mixture. 

Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, slowly mix the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and keep beating until it is well combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Test to make sure the cake is cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake—if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. 

Let cool in the pan then transfer from the pan onto a wire rack. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting: Using a handheld electric mixer, blend all the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Place the cooled cake on a plate and generously spread the frosting on top. The cake will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.