You can serve this torte simply with fresh whipped cream, but you could you also use it as a base for mousses and ganaches.
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Serves: 8
1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) milk stout
1 cup granulated sugar
12 oz (340 g) premium semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 Tbs (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 large eggs
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 Tbs (½ fl oz/15 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) whipping cream, whipped
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the beer and sugar to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and butter. Stir slowly until the chocolate has completely melted and everything is incorporated. You should have a thick hot fudge-like consistency.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and vanilla.
Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) cake pan or springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake or tap lightly to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 45–60 minutes. Rotate about halfway through if the oven heat is uneven. The cake will rise some but should collapse as it cools, leaving you a dense, moist, and decadent dessert. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Beer Suggestions: Left Hand Milk Stout (Longmont, Colorado), Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin (Paso Robles, California), Great Divide Yeti(Denver, Colorado), Surly Darkness (Minneapolis, Minnesota).
PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER CINA