Guinness Gingerbread Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

This Guinness Gingerbread Cake is a moist, richly spiced Bundt cake made with Guinness stout, molasses, and plenty of warming gingerbread spices. The Guinness adds a wonderful depth of flavor, while sour cream helps keep the cake soft and tender. And then there's the fluffy brown butter frosting! Its warm, nutty flavor pairs beautifully with the gingerbread, making this a delicious cake for Christmas gatherings, holiday parties, or enjoying with a hot cuppa tea.

When developing this Guinness Gingerbread Cake, I knew I wanted a rich gingerbread flavor, so I reduced the Guinness first to concentrate its flavor before adding it to the batter. And you can't have classic gingerbread without molasses! Since this is a large Bundt cake, I use a generous amount to give it that traditional gingerbread sweetness, moisture, and flavor. For the topping, I wanted something more substantial than a thin glaze. Think those thick, generous swirls of frosting you get on a Nothing Bundt Cakes cake, but made with brown butter for a warm, nutty flavor that's so good with the spices.

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

Molasses, Guinness & Everything Nice

• Guinness Stout: I reduce the Guinness before adding it to the batter to concentrate its flavor. It gives the gingerbread a rich depth of flavor that works beautifully with the molasses and spices.
• Molasses: Gingerbread and molasses go hand in hand! This is a large Bundt cake, so I use a generous amount to provide the moisture, sweetness, and classic gingerbread flavor it needs.
• Gingerbread Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves create that warm, cozy flavor you expect from homemade gingerbread
• Sour Cream: Adds moisture and richness to the cake, helping create a soft, tender crumb.
• Brown Butter: The frosting gets its warm, nutty flavor from browned butter. I wanted a thick, fluffy frosting rather than a thin glaze, similar to the generous frosting you see on a Nothing Bundt Cakes cake.
  

From Stout to Spiced Bundt Cake

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.

The Secret to a Bundt Worth Bragging About

• Don't skip reducing the Guinness. I reduce the Guinness before adding it to the batter to concentrate its flavor. It's an extra step, but it's part of what gives this gingerbread cake its distinctive flavor.
• Don't be afraid of the molasses. I use a generous amount because this is a large cake, and molasses contributes moisture, sweetness, and that classic gingerbread flavor. Make sure you measure it accurately.
• Grease every nook and cranny. Bundt pans are beautiful, but all those little crevices can make removing a cake tricky! Thoroughly grease your pan so the gingerbread releases cleanly.
• Let the brown butter cool before whipping. After browning the butter, it needs to cool and become soft and solid again before you make the frosting. Warm, melted butter won't give you the thick, fluffy texture we're after.
• Cool the cake completely before frosting. I wanted thick swirls of brown butter frosting. Make sure the gingerbread is completely cool so those beautiful swirls hold their shape.

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Guinness Gingerbread Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

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This Guinness Gingerbread Cake is a moist, richly spiced Bundt cake made with Guinness stout, molasses, and plenty of warming gingerbread spices. The Guinness adds a wonderful depth of flavor, while sour cream helps keep the cake soft and tender. And then there's the fluffy brown butter frosting! Its warm, nutty flavor pairs beautifully with the gingerbread, making this a delicious cake for Christmas gatherings, holiday parties, or enjoying with a hot cuppa tea.

• Total Time: 3 Hours 10 Minutes
• Yield: 12-16 Slices 1x

Ingredients

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Brown Butter Frosting

• 6oz (¾ Cup) Butter, browned
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 250 Grams- 313 Gams (2 - 2 ½ Cups) Icing/Powdered Sugar

Cake

• 1- 11.2oz bottle of Guinness
• 4oz (½ cup) Unsalted Butter
• 150 Grams (¾ cup) Brown Sugar
• 50 Grams (¼ cup) Granulated Sugar
• 8oz (1 cup) Molasses
• 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 325 Grams (2 ⅔ cup) All-Purpose/ Plain Flour
• 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 6oz (¾ cup) Sour Cream

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Instructions

Frosting

1. 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)
2. 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

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 10 cup bundt pan and set aside.
2. 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.
3. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
4. In the cooled Guinness mixture whisk in eggs and vanilla. Make sure the eggs are fully combined into the batter. 
5. 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. 
6. 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

1. Set browned butter on the counter to come to room temperature.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Equipment

Bundt Pan

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Vanilla Bean Paste

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OXO Kitchen Scale

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Notes

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

• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 25 Minutes
• Cool Time: 2 Hours
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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