Chocolate Guinness Cake

Soft and moist chocolate cake is baked with Guinness for an irresistible flavor!! Frosted with a Baileys Swiss Meringue Buttercream and filled with a chocolate ganache this cake is perfect all year long but especially for St. Patrick's Day!

Over the years I have spent many Paddy's days indulging in some sort of boozy dessert. Truth is I love any excuse to throw some booze into my baking. Extra dimension of flavor! 😉

I love this cake for any time of year. In fact, I used to make a chocolate Guinness cake very similar to this, all the time. But that was made with butter, and I find many chocolate cakes do better with oil. So after some recipe testing, I adjusted the recipe and here we are!

The cake has a beautiful flavor and is incredibly soft and tender. I am sure you will love this Guinness chocolate cake!!!

Let's get to the recipe.

Jump to:

• 🎂 What are the ingredients
• 📖How do you make Guinness cake
•  ⏲️ Can you make this ahead of time
• 🍀 More St. Patrick's Day recipes
• Recipe Card
• Recipe Ratings & Comments

🎂 What are the ingredients

The cake recipe is based on my best ever chocolate cake recipe, it's pretty easy and probably things you already have on hand, bar a couple.

• Guinness Stout. I use the bottle size here, not the can, you can use the can though and let it simmer longer to reduce, or drink a few sips 😉
• Sugar. Granulated
• Flour. All-Purpose Flour / Plain Flour
• Leaving Agents. Baking Soda Baking Powder
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Dutch Process Cocoa Powder gives a smother chocolate flavor
• Salt.
• Eggs. 3 Large, at room temperature 
• Vegetable Oil.
• Sour Cream. 
• Whole Milk. 
• Pure Vanilla Extract. 

For the frosting, you could use all kinds. I used my Baileys Swiss Meringue Buttercream I love Irish cream and Irish beer together, but my Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is delicious too. I filed the center of the cake with a simple chocolate ganache made of heavy cream and good quality chocolate.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

📖How do you make Guinness cake

Over medium heat reduce the Guinness in a medium pot. Let it simmer for 4-7 minutes. The Guinness beer should reduce to around 8oz/1 Cup.

While the Guinness is reducing preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease two 8 inch cake pans. parchment paper

When Guinness has reduced, take-off of the heat and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  

In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift cocoa powder into the dry ingredients. This is crucial as the cocoa powder has lots of lumps and you don't want a lump cake! Make sure to whisk until cocoa powder is fully combined.

In a large bowl whisk together the milk, oil, sour cream eggs and vanilla

Mix well, until eggs are fully combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula so everything is evenly combined.

Gently mix dry ingredients until just combined then add the warm Guinness beer, mix until evenly combined. 

Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then invert to cool completely. 

In a medium saucepan heat the heavy cream, do not boil. While the cream is heating, place the finely chopped chocolate in a bowl.

When the cream has warmed pour on top of chopped chocolate, stir once to make sure all chocolate is covered then let it sit for 5 minutes.

Whisk the chocolate cream mixture until completely combined.

Store ganache in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to thicken before assembling the cake. 

Prepare Baileys Frosting. 

Place one layer of cake on a cake board on top of a cake stand or serving plate and use an angled spatula to spread the chocolate ganache into an even layer. Place the second cake layer, bottom side up, this helps create an even flat top. 

Crumb coat the cake with Baileys frosting and let the cake chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

I find it easiest to use a straight icing spatula to put a thick layer of frosting on the sides then use a cake scraper to scrape the excess frosting off of the sides.

For the top of the cake, I use an angled spatula then use the cake scraper on top.

After the cake has chilled use an angled spatula to spread the remaining frosting and hold the angled spatula perpendicular to the cake and to draw lines around the cake to create a design.

Sprinkle shaved chocolate on top. Store cake leftovers in the fridge, let sit out for 1 hour before serving fo frosting to soften again.

 ⏲️ Can you make this ahead of time

You can definitely assemble and frost the cake a day before you want to serve it, just store the cake in the fridge. The cake will taste at it's best when the chill has been taken off, I suggest taking it out of the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

The cake layers can be baked, cooled to room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, twice, and stored in the freezer for up to three months.

🍀 More St. Patrick's Day recipes

If you're looking for more St. Patrick's Day recipes try my Guinness Cupcakes, Guinness Irish Stew, Baileys Cupcakes, or Guinness Cheesecake Recipe.

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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