Après Tango avec le Gateau et Buns!

One of the major benefits of taking part in a small Argentine Tango group, is that once you've struggled through the technically challenging class, apart from the relief of not falling flat on your face, or dare I say it, over-taken in the line of dance... is the Après Tango, or in other words - cake!

We are extremely lucky in our group to have more than one talented 'bun bringer'. I might imagine that a small percentage of the class may predominantly be here for the cake, but that would be unfair.

The picture above is one made by our Chief Bun Bringer, and is a Guiness & Chocolate cake.

I'll fish out a recipe.. but of course Chief Bun Bringer's recipe may be a highly guarded family secret, so please do not contact us if your cake looks nothing like the above!

This one is nicked from Nigella..

Guiness & Chocolate Cake

Makes: about 12 slices

METRICCUPS

FOR THE CAKE

250 millilitres guinness
250 grams unsalted butter
75 grams cocoa powder
400 grams caster sugar
142 millilitres sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
275 grams plain flour
2½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

FOR THE TOPPING

300 grams cream cheese
150 grams icing sugar
125 millilitres double cream (or whipping cream)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/350ºF, and butter and line a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter - in spoons or slices - and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsieved icing sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.
Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.