This incredible dessert was presented as a Mother’s Day treat to the one I love.  And her family.This dessert is absolutely sick.
It worked.

Drizzling syrup:

1/3 cup Guinness Stout

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Droste’s)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cake:

2/3 cup Guinness Stout (measured after foam has subsided

2/3 cup currants

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Cooking spray

2/3 cups butter, softened

4 eggs

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup red currant jelly, warmed

1 cup chopped walnuts

Bittersweet Icing:

1 ½ cups heavy cream

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

4 ½ Tbsp confectioner’s sugar

4 ½ Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

ONE DAY AHEAD:

Bring cream to a boil.  Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl, pour boiling cream over it, and whisk until chocolate melts and is thoroughly combined.  Cover tightly and chill overnight.  Chill beaters from a hand mixer at the same time.

UP TO 3 HOURS BEFORE SERVING:

Whip chocolate mixture with the hand mixer with chilled beaters.  When soft peaks form, sift in confectioner’s sugar and cocoa, and then add vanilla and salt.  Continue whipping until combined.

Drizzling Syrup:

Combine all ingredients in a small heavy saucepan, whisking until smooth.  Heaat over medium heat until sugar disolves and syrup is smooth.  Set aside.

Cake:

1.                  Pour Stout over currants; cover and soak until the currants are plump.

2.                  Drain currants, reserving Stout.

3.                  Add stout to a small saucepan.  Whisk in 1/3 cup cocoa and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat.  Add semisweet chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts.  Cool  slightly.  Stir in buttermilk.

4.                  Preheat oven to 350 F

5.                  Combine 2 Tbsp cocoa, 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp flour.  Coat 2 8- or 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray; dust with cocoa mixture.

6.                  Beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.  Gradually beat in 1 ¾  cups sugar until well blended.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Beat in vanilla.

7.                  Combine 2 cups flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with chocolate mixture until blended (batter may look curdled).  Stir in currants.

8.                  Divide batter between pans.  Bake 25 – 30 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack.

9.                  Poke tops of cake with a skewer or toothpick.  Spoon drizzling syrup over tops of both layers.

10.             Place 1 layer on a platter.  Spread warmed jelly over layer on the platter. Chill 30 minutes.  Cover jelly with ¼ of Bittersweet Icing.  Place second layer on top.

11.              Frost top and sides with the remaining icing.  Press nuts into the sides of the cake.  Serves 16