WHERE TO BUY BLACK ICING RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
• In small bowl or cup, mix together buttermilk and vanilla.
• Beat butter and white sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until it's evenly distributed.
• Add egg to butter and sugar mixture, and beat until blended.
• Gradually beat in flour mixture one cup at a time, and add in buttermilk mixture between each cup of flour, and mix until smooth. It will be necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
• Spoon batter in 1/4 cup size servings onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake on middle rack for about 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched.
• Place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before icing.
• Stir together icing sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1/2 Tbsp of water in bowl until smooth.
• Place half of mixture into separate bowl and add cocoa powder, and remaining water bit by bit until it is the same consistency as the white icing. If the icing is too runny, add more icing sugar until it is smooth and spreadable.
• Turn cooled cookies flat side up, and spread icing with pastry spatula, or butter knife. White over one half, chocolate over the other. The icing does not set solid on these cookies, and does not harden, but it dries enough to be wrapped as they are sold in the city. They can be wrapped individually in cellophane, or sealed in a plastic container.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter a 900g loaf tin and line with a strip of baking paper overhanging either end.
• Warm the butter, Guinness and chocolate in a small pan over a low heat until melted and smooth, then cool for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the marble layer. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the egg, then the flour, followed by the wine.
• Whisk the eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sugar and soured cream. Sift over the flour and cocoa and mix until just combined. Pour the Guinness batter into the tin and smooth over the top. Add the marble batter to the tin in dollops over the top (it will sink into the darker batter). Use a chopstick to slightly swirl the batters together, making swirls like a settling pint of stout.
• Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then use the overhanging paper to lift the cake from the tin onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.
• For the frosting, beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the wine until incorporated, then add the soft cheese and mix until just combined – don’t over-mix, or the frosting will become runny.
• Spoon the frosting over the cake, smoothing over the sides of the cake with a palette knife so you get defined, straight lines like the head of a black velvet cocktail. Dust with a little cocoa and chill until ready to serve.