• Making time 40 minutes
• Preparation time  55 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g butter, at room temperature
• 250 g light muscovado sugar
• 175 g plain flour
• 50 g cocoa powder
• Half teaspoon baking powder
• One teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• Three eggs, beaten
• 200 ml Guinness or other stout
• 25 g white chocolate curls, to decorate
• Sifted cocoa powder, for dusting

For the white chocolate frosting:

• 200 ml double cream
• 200 g white chocolate, broken into pieces

If there is anything that we need to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.

– Carl Jung

Preparation:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale creamy, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, gradually beat in an alternate spoonful of egg, flour mixture and Guinness until all have been added and the mixture is smooth.
2. Spoon into a 20 cm spring-form tin, greased and base-lined with oiled greaseproof paper, and spread the surface level, bake in a preheated oven, 160⁰C, set the timer for 55 minutes until well risen, the top is slightly cracked and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
3. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then loosen the edges turn out on to a wire rack and peel off the lining paper.
4. Make the white chocolate frosting, bring half the cream just to the boil in a small saucepan, then remove the cream from heat, add the chocolate, set aside for 10 minutes until melted.
5. Stir then chill for 15 minutes, whip the remaining cream then whisk in the chocolate cream until thick.