Flourless Chocolate Cake with Guinness Ice Cream

If you want to rock up at a party feeling like a total legend, then bring this … because everyone knows that chocolate + beer = happiness. In cake and ice cream form: double happiness.

FEEDS UP TO 12

ICE CREAM OR PARFAIT

560 ml (19¼ fl oz/2 ¼ cups) Guinness, dark ale OR stout

560 ml (19¼ fl oz/2 ¼ cups) thickened (whipping) cream

180 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

12 egg yolks

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter

300 g (10½ oz/1 ¹/₃ cups firmly packed) soft dark brown sugar

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) water

250 g (9 oz/1 ²/₃ cups) dark chocolate melts (buttons) OR chopped dark chocolate (75% cocoa solids)

6 eggs, separated

30 ml (1 fl oz) brandy

¼ teaspoon salt

Dutch process cocoa powder, to dust

TO SERVE

Fresh raspberries, to garnish (optional)

METHOD

To make the ice cream, microwave the Guinness and cream in a heatproof bowl for 4 minutes on the highest setting.

Combine the caster sugar and egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk until pale and thick. Add to the hot Guinness-and-cream mixture, and whisk to combine – see notes.

Microwave for 1½ minutes on the highest setting, then whisk briskly. Continue to microwave in 1-minute bursts, whisking well in between, until the mixture is thick enough to easily coat the back of a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will split and look a little dotty – see notes.

Chill the custard completely, before churning in an ice-cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t own one, make a parfait (unchurned ice cream) instead by pouring the custard into a container lined with baking paper or foil – make sure there is about 4 cm (1½ inches) of overhang. Cover and freeze completely before using.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Grease the ring of a 24 cm (9½ inch) springform tin, then turn the base upside down, so it no longer has a lip. Place a piece of baking paper over it, then clamp the ring around it to secure.

To make the chocolate cake, combine the butter, brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Add the egg yolks, brandy and salt, and whisk until combined.

Next, in a large mixing bowl (make sure it’s completely clean and dry), whisk the egg whites using an electric mixer on the highest speed until they just begin to form stiff peaks and no more. Whisk one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate cake batter to loosen the mixture a little. Add the remainder, and stir gently with the whisk to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, and bake for about 20 minutes. You want the centre to be just done and have a slight wobble, but not be undercooked. Remove from the oven, set on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely in the tin – about 1 hour. Don’t be worried if the cake collapses a little in the middle after cooling.

Transfer to a serving plate, dust well with cocoa and cut into 10 or 12 slices. Serve each slice with a scoop of Guinness ice cream, and garnish with 3 or 4 fresh raspberries per serving. If you made a parfait, use the overhanging baking paper or foil to lift it out of its container and slice to serve.

NOTES

Whenever you are combining sugar and eggs in a bowl, never allow the sugar to rest on the eggs for any length of time before whisking vigorously or it will pickle the yolks unevenly and create a lumpy texture.

If you ever split a custard mixture, immediately blitz with a blender or stick blender. This will hopefully restore it to a smooth mixture again. If not, you’ll have to start from scratch again, I’m afraid.