by Bill Whitney

Created on: January 05, 2008

This isn't a chocolate mousse cake but it is chocolate orange and heaven knows we don't need many more chocolate cake titles so I decided that this would fit here just as well as making a new title.

Chocolate and orange have always gone together well. I always liked the chocolate covered orange jelly candy when I was a kid and I still do. This cake is an Irish recipe and has Guinness beer in it but it is sure good. I think just about everything Irish has Guinness in it or on it doesn't it?

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE GUINNESS CAKE

8 oz butter at room temperature
8 oz soft dark brown sugar
10 oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch slat
2 rounded tbsp cocoa
grated rind of one orange
4 eggs
1/2 cup Guinness

Icing
4 oz butter
8 oz confectioners sugar
4 tbsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease 2 8-9 inch cake pans. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa into a bowl. add the orange rind to the creamed butter and beat in the eggs, one at a time including a spoonful of flour mixture with each one. Beat well with each addition. Gently mix in the Guinness a tbsp at a time including another spoonful of flour with each addition. If there is any flour left over, fold it gently into the mix, blend throughly without over beating. Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans, smooth down and put the cakes in the center of a preheated oven. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for 35-40 minutes. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile make the icing. Cream the softened butter and confectioners sugar together thoroughly. then blend in the grated orange rind and enough juice to make an icing that is soft enough to spread. Spread the icing on the first cake and then put it on top and ice the rest of the cake.

What do you think this would be good with? of course a cup of Irish coffee and a dip of vanilla ice cream.

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