Guinness Gingerbread Cake topped with a Brown Butter Frosting is the perfect cake for Christmas time. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this delicious bundt cake recipe!

slice of guinness gingerbread cake on a plate with a fork and guinness bottle next to the full cake on a light grey surface with a christmas napkin

I love cooking with booze. It's just fun. You feel me?

I tend to cook with Guinness often like in my guinness cupcake recipe.

I've actually made this cake for the last few years but haven't shared it here yet. It's delicious. It's not overly sweet. This ginger cake is perfect for Christmas time. It's so warm. It really doesn't need the frosting but brown butter buttercream, come on?! The best. But if you don't love frosting a dusting of confectioners sugar is perfect too!

This cake is also one of those cakes that goes perfect with a cuppa tea or a cup of coffee. It's like it warms your soul this cake.

close up of frosted gingerbread bundt cake on a white plate on a light grey surface

Let's get to the recipe.

Jump to:

Ingredients
How do you make brown butter?
Instructions
More gingerbread recipes
Recipe Card
Recipe Ratings & Comments

Ingredients

For this bundt cake recipe you will need:

Guinness. One of the 11.2oz bottles is needed.
Unsalted Butter. Luckily the butter gets melted into the Guinness so there is no need to wait for the butter to soften.
Brown Sugar. I like using a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar, the brown sugar has a great flavor alongside the ginger and also provides moisture.
Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar holds less moisture which is why we use a combination.
Molasses. Molasses gives Gingerbread it's signature flavor. I use blackstrap molasses but you can use fancy molasses, which might result in a lighter colored cake.
Large Eggs. So your eggs evenly incorporate into the cake batter make sure they are at room temperature. You can easily bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
Vanilla Extract. Use the real stuff, I think vanilla goes well with all of the other gingerbread ingredients.
All-Purpose/ Plain Flour. Make sure your flour doesn't have any lumps in. Too much flour can ruin the cake so make sure you weigh it properly, this is why I suggest using a scale to measure the flour.
Chemical Leavening Agents. A combination of baking soda and baking powder to get the right rise on the cake but also not taste metallic.
Spices. My favorite blend for gingerbread is a combination of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.
Sour Cream. Adding sour cream to the cake batter helps lighten the cake and create a tender, moist cake crumb.

Now you could leave the cake as is or top it wiht a dusting of confectioners sugar OR you could frost it which I did!

For a brown butter frosting you will need:

Butter. You will need 6oz of browned butter so you will want to brown 8oz of butter total, when you brown butter some of the water content will evaporate.
Vanilla Bean Paste. I love using vanilla paste because it adds flecks to the frosting which I think are gorgeous! But you could totally sub in vanilla extract.
Salt. Just a pinch helps balance everything out!
Heavy Cream. Adding heavy cream to frosting is my favorite, it helps create an incredibly soft, fluffy, and moist frosting.
Confectioners Sugar. Also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, make sure the icing is sifted so you don't end up with any lumps. I also suggest using a scale as too much or too little will alter the frosting texture.

close up of sliced gingerbread bundt cake on a white plate on a light grey background

How do you make brown butter?

I actually have a whole post dedicated to making brown butter. We make the brown butter first here so that it has time to chill in the fridge.

In a heavy bottom saucepan brown the butter. Mix constantly, over low-medium heat, do not walk away. You will start to see it foam up then brown flecks will appear. When the brown flecks appear and you smell a nutty aroma the butter is done.

Pour the butter into a heat proof container to set up, place in the fridge.

brown butter melted and re solidified in a glass jar on a grey surface

Instructions

Start by preheating the oven to 350F/180C and heavily grease a 10 cup bundt pan. Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies otherwise the bundt cake might not release from the pan.

guinness and a stick of butter in a metal pot on a light grey surface

In a saucepan over medium heat cook Guinness for 10 minutes, the liquid will reduce. Add in butter until mostly melted. Take off the heat and mix in sugars and molasses, let cool for 5-10 minutes.

molasses mixed into butter Guinness mixture in a metal pot on a light grey surface

Then in a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

dry ingredients for guinness gingerbread cake in a glass bowl on a light grey surface

Make sure everything is totally combined.

eggs added to wet ingredients in a metal pot on a light grey surface

In the cooled Guinness mixture whisk in eggs then vanilla.

wet ingredients poured into dry ingredients in a glass bowl on a light grey surface

Pour the wet ingredients mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

folding dry into wet ingredients in an glass bowl with a yellow spatula on a light grey surface

Mixing until just combined then fold in sour cream, don't over mix the cake batter you will end up with a tough cake crumb.

sour cream added to cake batter in a glass bowl on a light grey surface

guinness gingerbread cake batter in a glass bowl on a light grey surface

Keep in mind the size of your bundt pan can affect the bake time.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake bounces back when you gently touch the center or a toothpick inserted comes out with only moist crumbs.

guinness gingerbread bundt cake before baking on a light grey surface with a white and blue striped linen

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for ten minutes then place the rack on top of the cake and invert the cake to cool completely.

cake inverted onto a cooling rack on a light grey surface

Once the cake has cooled start the frosting, add the room temp browned butter to a bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 1 minute.

brown butter frosting ingredients in a metal bowl on a grey surface

Add in vanilla bean paste, salt, and powdered sugar, and cream mixing on low, once fully combined increase the speed and beat for five minutes to get a super fluffy, light buttercream.

brown butter frosting whipped together in a metal bowl on a light grey surface

I like to place a piping bag inside a glass and pull the sides down the side of the glass so the piping bag is held open for you, fill the bag with frosting then twist shut and store until ready to use.

FROSTING ADDED TO PIPING BAG IN A GLASS on a grey surface

Frost cake to your liking, I used a round open tip.

hand piping frosting on to cake on a white plate on a light grey surface

Store the cake in an airtight container on counter or fridge for 4-5 days.

fork cutting a slice of gingerbread cake on a stack of white plates on a christmas napkin on a light grey surface

More gingerbread recipes

My gingerbread loaf cake is the perfect treat and always loved when delivered as an edible gift!

Who knew a gingerbread brownie would be so addictive!

When I made this Gingerbread Cheesecake I just about fell of the chair, it's sooooo delicious!

Guinness gingerbread cut open on a white plate on a light grey background with a knife and cup of coffee

Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

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

Recipe Card

Guinness Gingerbread Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

Print Recipe

Guinness Gingerbread Cake topped with a Brown Butter Frosting is the perfect cake for Christmas time. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this delicious bundt cake recipe!

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 12-16 Slices 1x

Instructions

Frosting

In a heavy bottom saucepan brown the butter. Mix constantly, over low-medium heat, do not walk away. You will start to see it foam up then brown flecks will appear. (Check out this detailed post on how to brown butter)
When the brown flecks appear and you smell a nutty aroma the butter is done. Pour into a heatproof container to set up, place in the fridge, mix every 20 minutes or so as the butter cools and resolidifies to evenly distribute the brown butter flecks.

Cake

Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 10 cup bundt pan and set aside.
In a saucepan over low-medium heat cook Guinness for 10 minutes, the liquid will reduce. Add in butter and mix until mostly all melted. Take the pot off the heat and mix in sugars and molasses, let cool for 5-10 minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
In the cooled Guinness mixture whisk in eggs and vanilla. Make sure the eggs are fully combined into the batter.
Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and use a spatula to gently mix until just combined then fold in sour cream, be careful not to overmix.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake bounces back when you gently press/ touch the center or a toothpick inserted comes out with only moist crumbs. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting on to a rack. Frost when the cake when it is completely cool.

Frosting

Set browned butter on the counter to come to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the browned butter for 1 minute, it should be light and fluffy.
Add in vanilla bean paste, salt, and powdered sugar, and cream mixing on low, once fully combined increase the speed and beat for five minutes to get a super fluffy, light buttercream.
Frost cake to your liking, I used a round open tip. Store in an airtight container on the counter or fridge for 4-5 days.