Chocolate-Stout Cake with Guinness Ice Cream

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
Guinness ice cream (recipe follows)
 

Preheat the oven to 350º F
Lightly butter a 12-inch bundt pan.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg together into a large mixing bowl.

Pour the beer and molasses into a medium saucepan together, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the baking soda. Don’t be surprised when it foams up.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars, mixing well to combine. Whisk in the oil, and then the beer mixture.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients, whisking slowly until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix or the cake will be tough.

Pour the batter into bundt pan and bake 30 minutes. The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top surface is just starting to crack. When you insert a skewer into the center, it should come out mostly clean. To keep the cake moist, cover it with a dry kitchen towel as it cools. After 30 minutes, invert the cake onto a platter.

Serve slices of the cake with scoops of the Guinness ice cream.

Guinness Ice Cream
(makes 1 scant quart)

1/2 vanilla bean
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup Guinness stout
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons molasses
3 extra-large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using a paring knife, scrape the seeds and pulp into a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla pod, milk, and cream, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow the ?avors to infuse for 30 minutes.

While the cream is infusing, whisk the beer and molasses together in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then turn off the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of the warm cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Slowly, add another 1/4 cup or so of the warm cream, whisking continuously. At this point, you can add the rest of the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pot, and return to the stove.

Stir the beer mixture into the cream and cook the custard over medium heat, six to eight minutes, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. The custard will thicken and when it’s done will coat the back of the spatula. Strain the mixture, and chill at least two hours in the refrigerator. When the custard is very cold, process it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
 

This recipe is compliments of Suzanne Goin, chef at Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, Calif.; 323-655-6277. Courtesy of J. Herbert Silverman