Recipe courtesy of Cat Cora

Black and Tans

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  • Yield: 6 servings
The original Black & Tan is a layered drink of pale ale and dark beer served in British pubs. My Black & Tan looks like the drink but veers off in a sweet direction, alternating chunks of chocolate cake and scoops of ice cream in a Pilsner glass and topping it with whipped cream, to resemble beer foam. If you don't have time to start from scratch, you can use store-bought chocolate cake and ice cream, and your guests will still sit up and take notice when they see this dessert coming to the table.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Batter

Directions

Special equipment:
electric mixer
  1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and position a rack in the middle. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
  2. Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack. 
  3. To assemble the black & tans: Invert the cooled cake onto a work surface and cut it into 6 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle into squares about the size of ice cubes. Set out six Pilsner or similar glasses. Put 2 rounded scoops of ice cream into each glass. Divide the cake cubes evenly among the glasses, then add 1/2 scoop of ice cream to each glass, mounding it slightly in the center. Top with softly whipped cream to look like the frothy head on a pint of stout, allowing a drip to edge over the side. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Cake Batter

  1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt onto a piece of waxed paper or into a medium bowl.
  2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, beating well. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing just until the batter is smooth.