This recipe comes from ‘St Patricks Pantry’ published in 1991 byt St Patricks Cathedral Dublin, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the cathedral.

Ingredients

• 110g butter
• 250g ( approx 1 1/2 cups lightly packed Billingtons Dark Muscavado sugar) dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 175g (approx 1 1/4 cups) plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 level teaspoon baking soda
• 200ml guinness
• 55g (approximately 1/3 cup) cocoa

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.  Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together three times.  Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (dark sugar will be less fluffy than lighter coloured).   Add eggs one at  a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour the Guinness into a large bowl and then add the cocoa to the Guinness - this causes a foam to rise.
Add this mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the sifted flour.

Pour batter into cake tin and bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests cooked.  Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out.

This cake is fudgy and a hot knife is best for slicing.