WINTER
Deep, dark, intensely spiced—this is a very special holiday dessert. More good news—the cake tastes even better the next day. Wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.
Serves 12
Cake
Butter, for greasing pan
¾ cup Guinness or other stout
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 cup light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for pan
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of ground cardamom
Glaze
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Zest from 1 lemon
For cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Very generously butter a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan, making sure to cover every nook and cranny. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.
2. In a small saucepan, bring stout to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. When foam subsides, stir in molasses and both sugars until dissolved. Scrape mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs and oil; beat until blended.
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Slowly add dry ingredients into stout mixture, beating at high speed until completely smooth.
4. Scrape batter into prepared Bundt pan. Tap pan against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Bake 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully run a metal spatula around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For glaze:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk lemon juice and powdered sugar until of drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over the cake, and sprinkle zest on top of it.
TIP: It’s important to generously butter and flour the cake pan to ensure that the cake releases from the pan. The heavier the Bundt pan, the easier it will be to remove the cake from the pan.