Recipes & Tips Blog

While traveling last week I managed to make the Tuesdays with Dorie weekly recipe at my parent’s house. It was a spur of the moment idea, so a little improvising was in order.

After an inventory of ingredients, the two eggs dictated that it would be half a recipe. Neglecting to write the half measurements down in my book to serve as a reminder that I need to cut everything in half, of course I fell in the obvious trap. I added the full amount of baking powder and salt. Luckily I realized it before stirring everything together and managed to fish out about half of each.

The ingredient inventory also revealed there was no bittersweet chocolate to be had, but I did find a stash of lovely white chocolate. That combined with a bit of cocoa powder for color and to temper the sweetness would do nicely. The coffee element came in the form of a nice strong shot of freshly brewed espresso rather than the combination of coffee and espresso powder. A standard loaf pan was the perfect size to bake this half-size cake.

The flavor and texture was fantastic; soft and tender with the perfect hint of coffee and walnut coming through the rich butter flavor of the cake. We had the most fortunate realization just before serving. There was leftover Guinness reduction from last night’s dinner. This cake is spectacular as is, but drizzled with Guinness that has been reduced with sugar to a thick syrup consistency just shoots it right over the moon.

I discovered Guinness reduction at the Ragland Road in Downtown Disney when we were there with a group of running friends celebrating successfully completing the Goofy Challenge Marathon (a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back half marathon and full marathon. Great fun, but once is enough!) The Guinness reduction was served in a pool of olive oil along with a basket of fresh soda bread for dipping. We couldn’t get enough of it. Who needs aged balsamic vinegar when there is this stuff? My enthusiastic plans to recreate this at home fell by the wayside, but then I stumbled across the Copykat Recipes blog and found the recipe. Oh, please give this a try.  It was such a hit at dinner that we decided to drizzle it over our dessert as well. This cake was another perfect vehicle for consuming more Guinness reduction. What a perfect pairing.

The bottom line for his cake is it’s easy to make, easy to serve, and really easy to eat. It’s a good thing I only packed four slices for my 14 hour drive home! Thank you to Erin of  When in Doubt…Leave it at 350 for picking this week’s recipe. She has it posted on her blog with a beautiful photo of a nicely marbled cake that looks much more stunning than mine. I encourage you to give it a try with the Guinness reduction.

Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 120 recipes completed 101 to go!