The Snake Bite

I made up this recipe for the chocolate cake contest at Food52, which they're doing in honor of Valentine's Day.   Here's the intro I wrote for my contest entry (see if you can catch my attempt at using Danielle Steel-esque language to make a Snake Bite cake seem more Valentine's Day-y):

This cake was inspired by the oh-so-tasty concoction of lager and cider known as a 'snake bite.' For the cake, I've replaced the lager with a stout, and have opted for fermented pear cider in place of the more traditional apple. The ever-so-slightly effervescent pear cider cream cheese frosting swoons contentedly upon a truly dark, rich, and delicious chocolate stout cake. 

Anyway, this cake is fun! And absolutely incredibly easy to throw together.  Mix dry stuff in one bowl, wet stuff in another, then mix together and bake.  And just like that, you'll have a cake! That you baked from scratch! Also, it's very boozy, which is nice :)

Update: My cake wasn't selected as one of the two finalists, but it was highlighted as an Editor's Pick. Yahoo!

The Snake Bite

For the Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup good cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cups Guinness Extra Stout, at room temperature

For the Frosting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup fermented pear cider (I like Ace's)
• 1 dried pear slice, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a nine-inch round cake pan.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream. Then whisk in melted butter and Guinness. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and combine with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Put the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy and well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Slowly pour in the pear cider and mix until the frosting comes together. Let the frosting set up a bit in the refrigerator until the cake is ready to frost.
5. When the cake is cool, transfer it to a platter. Spread the icing on top of the cake, taking care to push it all the way to the edges. Garnish with a slice of dried pear and enjoy with a glass of pear cider!