Chocolate and Stout Mini Bundt Cakes with Salty Caramel Sauce

Last year around St. Patrick's day I made the most delicious Guinness brownies with cream cheese frosting - the recipe for which you can find here - and ever since then I've been wanting to make another cake that includes Guinness or stout beer. It's still always a shock to some that I'm a pretty big fan of the stuff.

It's only taken me a year, but with the excuse again of St. paddy's day it seemed like the right time to create a new chocolate and stout creation. I also happen to have just got my hands on a mini bundt pan and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. A mini bundt is just so much cuter than an ordinary muffin dontcha think?

Adding the stout into the mix makes the flavour deep and rich, really helping to bring out the pure chocolatey goodness of the cake, but without making them too rich or claggy. These littluns are so soft, spongey and dare I say the forbidden word, but..moist? They somehow create the perfect oxymoron of having a rich chocolate flavour, but still remaining subtle and light so you can maybe eat more than just the one. Add a little drizzle of salted caramel sauce and we're really onto a winner here. 

Did I mention they also contain no dairy, refined sugar or eggs? Strictly speaking stout beer will normally contain wheat which will have gluten so these aren't totally gluten free but I have used a mix of gluten free flour and ground almonds so it's not all bad. Note - if you are vegan avoid using Guinness as it is not strictly vegan, but there are vegan stout beers available that will work just the same!

Enjoy and Happy St. Paddys'!

(makes 12 mini bundts or muffins)

Ingredients: 
1 cup plan GF flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup cacao powder 

1 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup date syrup  - could be subbed for maple syrup or brown rice syrup
1 cup stout beer
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 

1 flax egg - 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp warm water, mixed

My 2 ingredient caramel sauce + extra salt

To Make:

• Pre heat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 12 hole mini bundt pan, or line a muffin tray with 12 muffin cases.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds, cacao, salt and baking powder.
• Set aside.
• Mix together you water and flax to make the flax egg in a small bowl and set aside for it to thicken.
• Pour the stout into a medium bowl and add in the coconut oil, date syrup, maple syrup, vanilla and water.
• Gently stir together and then add in the flax egg.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Note - as coconut oil is a solid at room temp it may start to harden and separate from the other ingredients as it cools down from being melted. If this happens, just pop the whole mixture into the microwave on a very low heat for about 30 seconds to re-melt the coconut oil and combine everything together.
• Once everything is mixed together, pour the batter into the prepared bunt pan. My mixture was very runny and thin so I found it easiest to use a ladle to 3/4 fill each hole in the pan/muffin case.
• Bake in the pre heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are set and darkened. Try inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center of one to see if it comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. 
• Once the cakes are cooled drizzle a little of the caramel over each cake and serve. Alternately you can leave the cakes plain and serve together with a pot of the caramel as a dip.