| HOLIDAY TIPS |

It wouldn’ t be St. Patrick’ s Day without bold, malty depth of Guinness stout. Why not add to your celebration this year by baking a Guinness Chocolate Cake to pair with the classic brew?

The stout beer brand is more than willing to share its cake recipe. In fact, Guinness took its signature flavor from pint to plate as presenting sponsor of the viral Cake Picnic Tour last fall. Guests at the sold-out events enjoyed slices of the brand’ s beloved Guinness Chocolate Cake alongside mini pours of Guinness Draught.

Here’ s how to make the cake at home; be sure to have plenty of stout on hand for pairing.

Butter( for the pan) as needed 1 cup Guinness stout 10 tbsps.( 1 stick + 2 tbsps.) Unsalted butter ¾ cup Unsweetened cocoa 2 cups Superfine sugar ¾ cup Sour cream 2 Large eggs 1 tbsp. Vanilla extract 2 cups All-purpose flour 2½ tsp. Baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, heat Guinness and butter over medium-low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat, then whisk in cocoa and superfine sugar.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Add to the Guinness mixture. Whisk in flour and baking soda until smooth. Pour batter into the buttered pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until risen and firm. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

For the topping, blend confectioners’ sugar in a food processor or by hand to remove lumps. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth. Gradually add heavy cream, blending until smooth and spreadable.

Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice only the top of the cake to resemble the frothy head of a pint of Guinness.

IRISH SPIRITS ENTREPRENEUR PROMOTES CRAFT HERITAGE

Inspired by her grandfather’ s original poitín recipes, Laura Bonner launched The Muff Liquor Company in 2017. Poitín, often called“ Irish moonshine,” is Ireland’ s traditional unaged, high-proof spirit, made from barley, potatoes or other grains. Bonner revamped her grandfather’ s traditional potato-based spirit recipes with a modern entrepreneurial approach.

Muff Liquor’ s craft Irish spirits include whiskey, gin and vodka. Under Bonner’ s leadership, the company expanded its market presence from Ireland to the U. S., now available in 39 states with plans to reach all 50 this year.

It wasn’ t all growth and glory, however. Bonner had to overcome significant challenges— including near bankruptcy during the pandemic— by pivoting to direct-to-consumer cocktail boxes. The cocktail kits became a top-selling product and kept the business afloat. High-profile celebrity investors, such as Ed Sheeran and Russell Crowe, helped elevate the brand’ s visibility and credibility globally.

Bonner has also focused on sustainability— planting trees for every bottle sold— and community development, launching a visitor experience center in Donegal. The center, which includes a shop, café, bar, and spirit-tasting tours, has transformed the village of Muff by invigorating local tourism, generating employment and boosting the regional economy.

16 | SPRING 2026 • CHEERS @ HOME WWW. CHEERSONLINEATHOME. COM