Ingredients

• 150ml/5fl oz stout
• 75g/2½oz good-quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• broken into pieces
• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
• softened
• plus extra for greasing
• 275g/10oz soft light-brown sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• lightly beaten
• 175g/6oz self-raising flour
• 100g/3½oz milk chocolate
• broken into pieces
• 50g/2oz unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp stout
• 100g/3½oz icing sugar
• 50g/2oz chopped roasted hazelnuts
• to decorate

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8in cake tin with butter.
• For the cake
• bring a little water to the boil in a pan. Reduce the heat until the water is simmering
• then suspend a heatproof bowl over the water
• making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
• Add the stout and dark chocolate pieces to the heatproof bowl and heat gently until melted. Once melted
• remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool.
• In a separate bowl
• beat together the butter and sugar until light
• fluffy and well combined
• using either a food processor or electric whisk.
• Add the eggs one at a time
• beating well between each addition.
• Pour in the cooled chocolate-and-stout mixture and beat until well combined. Fold in the flour.
• Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes
• or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for a few minutes
• then remove from the tin and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile
• for the icing
• repeat the process of bringing a little water to the boil in a pan. Reduce the heat until the water is simmering
• then suspend a heatproof bowl over the water
• making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
• Add the chocolate
• butter and stout to the bowl
• stirring until just melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and set the mixture aside to cool slightly.
• When the melted chocolate mixture has cooled
• transfer it to a food processor
• add the icing sugar and pulse until smooth and well combined. (Alternatively
• whisk in the icing sugar using a hand-held electric mixer.)
• When the cake has completely cooled
• spread the icing evenly over the top and sides
• then sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts. When the icing has dried
• serve.