Guinness Cake
‘Guinness is Good For You’ said the ads seen on posters throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s. But we didn’t care one way or the other - unlike most things that ‘do you good’ like sprouts and broccoli - this cake is delicious and we begged to have it for tea. There are lots of different versions but this is my favourite... and it keeps wonderfully well (without the frosting) for several days in an airtight tin so can be made before the hordes arrive.
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter and line a 9”(23 cm) springform tin. Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan, add the butter cubes and heat gently until the butter has melted. Then whisk in the sugar and the cocoa.
Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour it in to the Guinness mixture. Finally whisk in the flour, mixed spice and bicarb. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 45 mins to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a rack.
When it is completely cold take it out of the tin and ice it. Whip cream cheese, sieve over the icing sugar then beat together. Add the thick cream (or whip it if itis not thick enough). And ice the top of the cake thickly so that it resembles thefrothy head on a pint of Guinness.
Theo Hodges
Theo Hodges was born in Kent. After a degree in Graphic Design she joined J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency as an Art Director working on accounts such as Rowntrees, Kraft and The Butter Council. While she was at University in Perugia, Italy she started collecting recipes from friends and family. In 1980 she set up her own design agency: Theo Hodges Design Consultants. For many years when they were young Theo, her sister and six cousins used to spend vacations at her Grandmother’s Victorian vicarage in Kent. ‘The thing about remembering childhood’ she says, is ‘there’s a whole lot of oblivion, and then out of it something floats up, quite sharp and clear. Many of the meals I can still see vividly and various recipes of mine were originally from Granny’s kitchen. ‘The kitchen garden was stuffed with raspberries, huge red dessert gooseberries, strawberries, runner beans, peas and much more with the hens in a shed at the back. But Granny only ate chicken breast and runner beans, followed by raspberries and Jersey cream - and therefore so did we. When raspberries were out of season, and in those days the season was much shorter, Granny made Victoria sponge cakes sandwiched with cream and home-made raspberry jam. On this limited but delicious diet we all thrived’. Theo’s mother was an excellent cook as well, and had been taught by the house- keeper at their house in Mougins, South of France. And once rationing was withdrawn in England in 1952 and good, fresh ingredients became available again, she amassed an enormous number of recipes which has formed the basis for Theo’s collection of family desserts.