This is one of the easiest things in the world to bake. These egg-free, dairy-free cakes always fascinate me. In Shirley Corriher’s book BakeWise (which is a great book for the baking-obsessed), she has a similar recipe for Crazy Cake, and she mentions the importance of the water getting to the flour before the oil does, or the cake may not hold together well. Very science-y, but I believe her. So I added my oil at the end. Her method is the mix-in-the-pan kind, but I prefer the separate bowl method, because then you get to lick the bowl, which, after all, is half of the fun of making a cake. This recipe is adapted from the Double Chocolate Cake recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Note that this makes enough batter for a dozen cupcakes; see the directions below.
Vegan notes: Since Guinness is not a vegan beer (they use isinglass in its production, a collagen derived from fish), I substitute Lagunitas Imperial Stout, which is vegan. Or sometimes, I use all coffee for the liquid portion of the recipe. —mrslarkin
If you want to bake this batter in cupcake-form, just bake for 18 to 23 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out slightly moist. Let the cupcakes cool. Frost with your favorite frosting or dip the tops into a simple icing made of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and coffee. Decorate the tops with a fresh coffee bean while the icing is still tacky.
The words "chocolate" and "stout" grabbed me before even I realized this was a no-dairy recipe. I had this crazy notion that the best baked goods involved eggs, but this fantastic cake proved me wrong. Plus, it couldn’t have been easier to make: With the exception of the beer—I used bottled Guinness Extra Stout—all of the ingredients are probably in your pantry, and the batter comes together in minutes. The cake has a surprisingly light texture and deep chocolate flavor with a slightly bitter edge from the stout and coffee. I couldn’t resist a piece barely cooled from the oven, washed down with the rest of the stout. Certainly can't go wrong with that combo! Yum! —Midge
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