In conjunction with International Stout Day I thought I’d share one of my recipes with stout! It has a truly Irish dimension with the addition of the Guinness.
Makes 9 squares
For the slices:
- 150g stoned dates
- 120g dried apricots, chopped
- 150ml Guinness
- 120ml water
- 75ml whiskey
- 1 tsp bread soda
(bicarbonate of soda) - 175g Demerara sugar
- 85g butter, softened
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 180g self-raising flour
- 100g chopped walnuts
For the sauce:
75g butter
75ml Guinness
75ml double cream
2 tbsp runny honey
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Line a 21cm square brownie tin with parchment paper.
- Put the dates, apricots, Guinness, water, whiskey and bread soda in a saucepan. Place over a gentle heat until the dates soften and break down, stirring occasionally. This should take about 4–5 minutes. Leave to cool.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs.
- Fold the flour, walnuts and the cooled date mixture into the egg mix and transfer to the prepared tin. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack. Cut into 9 squares.
- To make the sauce, place the butter, Guinness, cream and honey in a saucepan and simmer over a low heat until the honey has dissolved and the sauce has thickened. Serve warm drizzled over the slices.
This sauce is delicious with ice cream and it freezes well too.
