Chocolate cake is always a great pick-me-up – and one with stout as a main ingredient is even better
My daughter Ivy was born on 23 December. We arrived home with her on Christmas morning, shellshocked, loved up and thoroughly knackered – just as many parents of newborns are. Christmas that year, not surprisingly, was a little different from others. I can’t quite remember how we even got through the day, to be honest. On Boxing Day, or shortly afterwards (time takes on a curious quality when you’re relentlessly sleep-deprived), a baker friend dropped round with a cake (disclaimer: dropping round on somebody post-birth can elicit joy, but also visceral horror at the thought of having to greet anyone from the outside world, so do get permission first). “It’s got stout in it,” she said, and with that she was gone. The rumour goes, although I think it’s considered a bit of an old wives’ tale these days, that drinking stout is good for new mothers, improving iron and stimulating milk supply. I have no idea whether stout does help, but I do know that good cake is a salve and makes the world go round, especially for bleary-eyed new parents. This one is also incredibly easy to bake.
Serves 8
stout 250ml
unsalted butter 230g
unsweetened cocoa powder 70g
rolled oats 50g, plus 2 tbsp more to sprinkle
plain flour 200g
caster sugar 250g, plus 1 tbsp more to sprinkle
bicarbonate of soda 1½ tsp
salt a big pinch
eggs 2, beaten
sour cream 150g, plus more to serve
from Lifestyle | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3vlyGzK