This chocolate cake is rich moist and has the most tender crumb. Jump to our Guinness Chocolate Cake Recipe with Creamy White Frosting or read on to see our tips for making it.
The cake is not only inspired by a perfectly poured glass of Guinness, but there’s about half of a bottle added to the batter. You’ll want a big slice of this one, promise.
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How to Make Chocolate Cake with Guinness
This cake is rich and moist. It’s hard to only eat one slice!
Combine melted butter and stout beer then whisk in cocoa powder. Add that to a bowl with dry ingredients then add eggs and sour cream — making it moist as ever. Easy!
Pour the batter into a cake pan then bake. When the cake has baked and cooled add the creamy white frosting. It’s made with cream cheese, cream and cream. It’s so creamy and delicious. In facet, we love this frosting so much, we use it for our popular carrot cake recipe.
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Recipe updated, originally posted March 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Guinness Chocolate Cake Recipe with Creamy Frosting
- PREP
About half a bottle of beer is added to an already moist and rich cake. The cake tastes like rich chocolate with just a hint of stout.
You Will Need
Chocolate Cake3/4 cup Guinness Stout beer
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pans (1 1/2 sticks)
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
Frosting8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
Directions
- Prepare Batter
- Bake Cake
- To Finish
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter then dust the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with cocoa powder.
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.
Meanwhile, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl then use a clean whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended.
Pour cocoa and stout mixture into the dry ingredients then use a spatula 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.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan then bake until a tooth pick can be inserted and come out clean and when you tap the top of the cake, it bounces back; about 40 minutes. Transfer cake, in pan, to a cooling rack and cool 10 minutes then turn cake out of the pan onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Add cream cheese and vanilla extract to a large bowl then use a hand mixer on medium speed and beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar a 1/4 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the cream and beat until the frosting is light and creamy. Frost top of cake.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Recipe adapted and inspired from two fantastic Stout cakes, one from Nigella Lawson’s book, Feast and the other printed in Bon Appétit Magazine, September 2002.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Hello,
This cake is so awesome! I’ve made it a few times now, and I and my friends just love it. The only problem I’m having is that the center sinks somewhat and doesn’t look cooked like the other parts of the cake. I have even baked the cake for 45 minutes, but it doesn’t change. It looks darker and bubbly towards the center on the top, which is somewhat sunken (there’s no dome). It’s still delicious though!! Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you very much.