tired/tried

last time, i made nigella's chocolate guinness cake. i made it again with tiger beer. i can't say that there's a difference; the batter looked the same, the cake tasted the same. the 'resonant, ferrous tang' remained. so i guess it doesn't matter what beer is used.

what i did do differently and got different results was in the icing. the last time, i followed nigella's directions and got a flowing icing - like a glaze - which i could only pour over the cake. this time, i separated the whipping of the cream from the cream cheese, and managed to get a firmer icing. still, not as firm as i wanted it, or as nigella described it, or as james merrell photographed it. but i think i know the trick already.
cooking the batter. granted, the tiger beer is much less darker than guinness. but with the addition of so much cocoa powder, everything gives way to chocolate and turns dark brown anyway.
preparing the cake for the icing.
i managed to make my icing firmer this time, and so it didn't just flow over the sides. i was able to create swirls and peaks.