OJMCHE Director Judy Margles was invited to participate in the Celebrity Chocolate Cake Smackdown at the Oregon Historical Society in honor of the 150th anniversary of the State Fair. While her chocolate stout cake didn’t take first place, the OJMCHE staff and volunteers have pronounced it a real winner. Here is her recipe adapted from Epicurious with the Portland-centric slant of all local ingredients (except the sugar.)
Chocolate Stout Cake
Adapted from Epicurious by Judy Margles. All ingredients are local except for the sugar in the cake and the bittersweet chocolate in the icing.
Cake
- 2 cups stout – Overcast Expresso Stout, Eugene, Oregon
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter – Tillamook Sweet Cream
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process) – Holy Kakow, made in Portland
- 4 cups all purpose flour – Bob’s Red Mill
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda – Bob’s Red Mill
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt – the Meadow’s
- 4 large eggs – Beaverton farmer’s Market
- 1 1/3 cups sour cream – Tillamook
Icing
- 2 cups whipping cream – Alpenrose
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped – Ghiradelli
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.