Serves 8

1 cup Three Forks Easy Ugly Stout (may substitute other stout beer)
1 cup dark molasses
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cardamom
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
¾ cup canola oil
Candied ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Generously butter 9-inch cake pan. Bring stout and molasses to gentle boil in large saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda slowly. (Note: This is science! Baking soda and beer will have a volcanic reaction, so make sure you use a large saucepan, so there’s plenty of room to grow.) Set aside mixture to cool.

Mix all dry ingredients and spices in large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk together sugars and eggs. Add oil slowly to blend. Add in stout/molasses mixture. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients in large bowl and mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Allow cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then knock cake out of pan and allow to finish cooling on rack. Dust with powdered sugar and top with chopped candied ginger and serve.