¼ cup cocoa powder (to dust the baking pans)
200g butter or margarine
1 cup Monteith’s Black Beer
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda (sifted)
2 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 Heat oven to 180°C. Lightly dust 2 greased 20cm spring-form pans with cocoa powder. In a saucepan or microwave oven, heat butter, beer and cocoa powder until butter melts. Cool.
2 Sift dry ingredients together, add the beer-cocoa mixture and beat thoroughly for 1 minute on medium speed. Add eggs and sour cream and beat 2 minutes on medium.
3 Pour batter into prepared pans and bake at 175°C for 24 to 30 minutes (or until skewer comes out clean). Place on a wire rack, cool for 10 minutes, remove sides and cool completely.
4 Use a long serrated knife to even the tops of the cakes. Use a flexible spatula, spread each layer with a thin coating of chocolate frosting, stack and cover the sides with frosting.
