Chocolate Guinness Gingerbread

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups flour 
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3 T. ground ginger
• 2 T cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 t. FINELY ground black or white pepper
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• dark choc. glaze or frosting (or just powdered sugar)

1. Pour beer and molasses into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in baking soda. Let cool. 
2. Once the beer-and-molasses mixture has cooled sufficiently, preheat oven to 350 F and prepare remaining ingredients.
3. Butter and flour a large bundt or loaf pan.
4. Sift together dry ingredients.
5. Whisk eggs add in sugars and oil, followed by the beer and molasses mixture.
6. Whisk in flour and spice mixture. Batter will be runny.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack, lift off the pan and cool cake completely.
9. Cover with chocolate glaze.