Mr. Food Recipe - World Recipes From All Country

Mr Food Recipe - Desserts containing Guinness are always a little bit of a tricky thing. You have to be careful to balance the basic dark bitterness of the Guinness with the dessert's other ingredients... and with even the best of intentions, this doesn't always work.

But this recipe is one of the exceptions to the rule. Oranges are one of the ingredients that can often be counted on to bring together disparate ingredients in either sweet or savory dishes. Here their influence tempers the bitterness of the Guinness, and gives the darkness an additional sharp note that turns the cake into something special. The icing, too -- a rich buttercream full of orange juice and orange zest -- is so good you'll be tempted to eat it by itself.

One hint: if you have access to bitter Seville oranges, those work even better with this recipe than the plain ones. However, if you can't get Seville oranges, ordinary eating oranges (such as navel oranges) will do just fine. However, do not attempt to make this cake with store-bought orange juice, no matter how fresh you think it is. Squeezing the oranges just before you make the cake (and of course using the fresh orange zest as well) guarantees a cake that will have the maximum orange fragrance and bite.

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 2 8-9-inch cake pans.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa into a bowl.

Add the orange rind to the creamed butter and beat in the eggs, one at a time, including a spoonful of the measured flour mixture with each one, and beating well between additions. Gently mix in the Guinness, a tablespoonful at a time, including another spoonful of flour with each addition. If there's any flour left over, fold it in gently to mix; blend thoroughly without over-beating.

Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth down, and put the cakes into the center of the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to moderate (350F) and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and shrinking slightly in the pans. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the icing. Cream the softened butter and icing sugar together thoroughly, then blend in the grated orange rind and enough juice to make an icing that is soft enough to spread. When the cakes are cold, use half the icing to sandwich them together, and spread the rest on top.