No fuss. That’s the first rule when baking in our home…there are a couple reasons for that:
1. Dishes, we hate them — the less dishes to clean, the happier we are.
2. We want to eat it now. We are not patient and when a 9-inch cake is sitting on our counter, we get all weak in the knees and cannot stand to wait! Could you?
This cake is rich, crazy moist and has the most tender crumb. The frosting is so easy, too. You’ll want a big slice of this one, promise.
Our Favorite Moist and Easy Guinness Chocolate Cake
First, we combine melted butter and stout. (This recipe uses about 1/2 of the bottle, so grab a chilled glass and enjoy the rest while the butter melts).
We whisk in some rich cocoa powder — then we pour into the dry ingredients and mix.
In goes some eggs and sour cream — making it moist as ever — and you’re done.
How to Make Fluffy White and Creamy Frosting
This is such an easy cream cheese frosting (and is actually our favorite because it’s so fluffy and light). Just beat cream cheese, vanilla and butter together then add powdered sugar. Then, to make the frosting extra creamy, add cream — it’s so delicious.
You just can’t lose with this one– it really is one of our favorite recipes. Easy, fast and so delicious.
If you Liked Our Guinness Chocolate Cake, You May Also Like
- This Stout Cake from Epicurious looks equally delicious.
- Our recipe was adapted and inspired by Nigella Lawson’s Guinness Chocolate Cake
- And, if you’re in the mood for more chocolate, take a look at our Double Chocolate Cookies — they’re pretty awesome.
- Or, if you’re in the mood for something without chocolate, try our soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies (with recipe video).
Since the cake is quite rich, we love topping with a simple no-fuss cream cheese frosting.
- 3/4 cup (about half of a 11.2 ounce bottle) Guinness Stout beer
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for pans
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus more for pans
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup whipping or heavy cream
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter then dust the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat then add beer and warm through. Remove from heat, and then whisk in cocoa powder until completely smooth. Cool 1 minute.
- In the meantime, add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl then use a clean whisk to combine. Make sure you whisk for 20 seconds or so, you want to make sure everything is combined. In another small bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until well blended.
- Pour cocoa and stout mixture into the dry ingredients then use a spatula or large spoon to gently stir together. You do not need to beat, just stir until incorporated. Now, add the egg and sour cream mixture and continue to stir until incorporated.
- Evenly fill prepared cake pan then bake in the oven about 40 minutes until a tooth pick can be inserted and come out clean and when you tap the top of the cake, it bounces back. Transfer cake, in pan, to a cooling rack and cool 10 minutes then turn cake out of the pan onto the rack and cool completely.
- Add cream cheese and vanilla extract to a large bowl then use a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar a 1/4 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add cream and beat until frosting is light and creamy. Frost top of cake.
About the Author
Joanne
I'm Joanne Gallagher and alongside my husband, Adam, I develop, test and share favorite recipes from our kitchen. I'm completely in love with food and you'll most likely find me covered in flour, chocolate or both.
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yeah, totally my kind of recipe. easy and super yum. and I love that I can even enjoy the leftover beer
yeah, that extra beer helps when waiting for everything to cool
One of the best chocolate cakes ever!!! Made it for company yesterday and they were totally impressed. Keep up the good work.
So happy you liked it!
this cake is INSANE. I’m making it for our Thanksgiving dessert table and then on Saturday for my husband’s birthday. I made it about a month ago and I’ve been thinking about it ever since! Fantastic recipe. Thanks for the helpful photos. Perfect cake!
this was awesome
I made this for our family St. Paddy’s Day dinner, and it was a huge hit. I added some green food coloring and peppermint extract to the frosting to make it more festive. Everyone loved it! Thanks for the recipe!!
Sounds so festive! Thanks for coming back and sharing
That looks delicious!!!!!
I’m planning to try it this weekend, but can I leave out the beer? My family, especially my parents doesn’t approve of alcohol, and we don’t have beer in the house. Will it affect the overall taste?Or is there any way I can replace it with something non-alcoholic?
Thanks^_^
Yes, you can leave out the beer — just replace the same amount with another liquid — we have tried coffee with lots of success (the coffe brings out the deep chocolate in the cocoa and makes it extra chocolaty). A soda should be great, too.
What kind of “cream” are we talking about here? Are you referring to whipping cream? Half/Half? What’s the butterfat content? Thanking you in advance.
Hi Elen — We just edited the recipe to read “whipping or heavy cream” — both will work. Thanks!
I just remembered to come back here and let you know that I made this for a dinner party and Easter. It was well-received on both occasions as in, “Don’t touch my cake.”
The next time I make it, I’ve decided to split the layer in half and put have the frosting between the layers. Oh, yeah.
Excited to try it! The frosting though… no butter in there? At the top pictures it says it’s an easy mixture of cream cheese, vanilla, butter and powdered sugar… but in the bottom list and pictures, no butter is mentioned…