Chocolate Macadamia Porter Cake Recipe by Chef Shane Smith

March, the month we must remember two very important men in Ireland, Saint Patrick & Arthur Guinness. I doff my chef hat to them both with this Chocolate Macadamia Porter Cake Recipe.

This cake infused with the black stuff and topped with chocolate ganache is decadently delicious and very easy to make. Its the perfect celebratory cake for this time of year.

Serves 10

Ingredients:

Bundt cake
– 125 ml Guinness
– 120g unsalted butter
– 40g unsweetened cocoa powder
– 200g dark muscovado sugar
– 70g sour cream
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 75g chopped macadamia nuts
– 140g plain flour
– 1 1/2 teaspoons bread soda

Ganache topping
– 150g dark chocolate
–100ml cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C and grease a 9” bundt tin.
2. Gently heat the Guinness and butter in a saucepan.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the muscovado sugar and cocoa powder.
4. Add this to the melted butter and Guinness.
5. Whisk the egg and sour cream and add to the above mix and finally fold in the four, nuts and bread soda.
6. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Allow to rest in the tin for 10 minutes and de-mould.
8. While the cake is cooling, place the chopped chocolate and cream in a saucepan and heat gently until smooth.
9. Drizzle this over the cooled cake and serve with a side of whipped cream.

Shane Smith hails from Co Cavan and has been cooking his way around Ireland and further afield for the past 16 years, starting his training in Co. Donegal in Tourism College Killybegs and then extending his studies to Galway Mayo Institute of Technology graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts, specialising in Pastry.

Shane has been very fortunate to have worked in and ran the pastry sections in some of Ireland’s leading 5* hotels and restaurants. Shane can be spotted all over the country carrying out his fun, interactive demonstrations with some of Ireland’s leading chefs. In September 2015, Shane was honoured to be awarded the title of “Best Bakery Manager in Ireland” in conjunction with Shelflife magazine and most recently has landed a cookery slot on Sunday AM where he can been seen regularly bringing his natural flare and love for all things sweet from the TV3 studios into the nation’s homes.