Chocolate stout cake with honeycomb whiskey frosting

The first time I tasted the Salted Caramel Pastry Stout from the White Hag Brewing Company in Sligo, I just knew I had to make a cake with it. In a serendipitous moment, the following day, Lisa from the Dublin Liberties Distillery introduced me to their Irish Whiskey and Honeycomb Liqueur. That was it — these two just had to be married in cake!

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round springform tin.

2 Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cocoa powder and stout, mixing well.

3 Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the stout mixture, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Mix well using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until you have a smooth batter.

4 Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50—60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before releasing the sides of the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5 To make the frosting, put the butter, icing sugar and liqueur in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer again, combine the ingredients slowly at first until everything is combined, then mix at a high speed for about 5 minutes, until everything is whipped to a light, fluffy, spreadable consistency.

6 Pile the frosting on top of the cooled cake and spread to the edges using a palette knife or spoon. Decorate with the broken honeycomb chocolate bars.