Recipe: Old Rasputin chocolate cake from North Coast Brewing Co.

"Dark beers don't get much darker than Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg, Calif. The jet-black elixir is rich and roasty with a dense, tan head, and packs a punch at 9% ABV. It's developed a cult following well beyond Mendocino County, magnetizing beer aficionados with a power appropriate to its namesake, Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin."

"This recipe for an Old Rasputin chocolate cake was developed by Sheila Martins, the brewery's vice president of administration and operations. Sheila happens to be married to North Coast's brewmaster, Chuck Martins, in a sweet culinary arrangement - she loves to bake, he loves to cook. The cake is offered as a seasonal dessert at the brewery's pub, where it is often topped with powdered sugar. For a more decadent option, Martins has included instructions for a ganache drizzle."

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is a jet-black, roasty beer with a dense tan head and 9% ABV. The cake recipe uses one cup of the stout combined with granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and leavening. Mini chocolate chips are optional. Batter is mixed, poured into a buttered, cocoa-dusted Bundt pan, and baked about 45 minutes until a tester comes out clean. The cake cools on a wire rack, is inverted onto a plate, and can be dusted with powdered sugar or finished with a ganache made from heavy cream and semi-sweet chocolate. Yield serves 10–12.

Read at The Mercury News