Author: This classic Guinness Chocolate Cake is moist, tender, and has a deep chocolate flavor highlighted by the beer. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, this dessert might just be your new go-to for St. Patrick’s Day! Make this with all-purpose einkorn flour or any AP wheat.
If you like chocolate cake, then this recipe is a hands-down winner! The Guinness works to deepen the flavor so well that this is seriously one of the chocolatiest cakes I’ve ever tasted! I did desperately want to pair it with a rich chocolate frosting, like the one I use on my chocolate cupcakes, but I resisted in favor of the more traditional white cream cheese frosting. The white frosting is used to make the cake look like a pint of Guinness, so using chocolate frosting instead would have seemed very wrong!
Pair this with a bowl of Irish Roast Beef and Cabbage Stew and a loaf of Irish Soda Bread for a perfect Irish-inspired meal!
Guinness Chocolate Cake
A traditional Irish pub staple, this Guinness Chocolate Cake can be enjoyed by everyone, even if you don’t like Guinness! The alcohol cooks off early in the process, leaving a delicious flavor that pairs perfectly with the chocolate.
My entire family loved it, including my mom, who “can’t stand Guinness”. A tragedy, I’m sure!
But no matter where you fall on the Guinness spectrum, this cake is too delicious for anyone to pass up! Make it for St. Patrick’s Day, or anytime you want a deep, chocolatey cake!
And be aware… This Guinness Chocolate Cake is very rich, so it goes a long way! While the servings are listed at 12 slices per cake, you can easily split a slice and be perfectly satisfied!
Ingredients
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients and some possible substitutions you may need or want to make. The full recipe with measurements can be found at the end of the post.
- Butter – Both salted and unsalted butter work well in this recipe, but we keep salted on hand, so that’s what we use. Use what you have on hand!
- Guinness – I used the Draught, but Extra Stout would work too.
- Cacao Powder – We keep cacao on hand instead of cocoa, but either would work in the same measurement. Just don’t use a Dutch cocoa, as the flavor would overpower the Guinness.
- Sour Cream – Many recipes call for Greek Yogurt, but I prefer the flavor when sour cream is used. Either can be used with great results, though.
- Eggs – Whole eggs are called for in this recipe.
- Molasses – Deepens the flavor of the cake and highlights the Guinness. This can be omitted if you don’t have any on hand, but it’s highly recommended!
- Vanilla Extract – Any vanilla extract will work, but I’m partial to our homemade vanilla extract!
- Sugar – White sugar is called for, and while you can use coconut sugar or a sugar replacement, the flavor will be drastically changed. The one exception would be allulose!
- All-Purpose Flour – We use einkorn flour, but use whatever all-purpose wheat you prefer. The measurements will be the same either way!
- Baking Soda – A crucial element for the finished texture! Don’t substitute baking powder, they are not the same!
- Salt – We use sea salt and recommend you do too. Table salt will not work well here.
Instructions
This batter comes together so quickly that while the chocolate blooms, you can prep everything else and get a load of dishes done! I’ve made this recipe several times in the last few weeks while I tested the recipe, and I can tell you, once you try it, you’ll want to make it again and again!
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9″, straight-sided cake pan by buttering it well, then dust with 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder. Be sure to coat the bottom and sides well by shaking the pan, then tap over a trash can to remove the excess powder.
- Melt – In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the Guinness and bring the mix to a simmer.
- Mix – Remove the pan from the heat and quickly mix the cacao/cocoa powder in the liquid. Whisk until smooth and allow to cool for 10 minutes. This blooms the chocolate and is crucial to the flavor!
- Combine – In a medium-sized bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined. In another small bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt with a whisk until well combined.
- Mix – After the Guinness/cocoa mix has cooled, add it to the sour cream mix and whisk well.
- Combine – Add the flour mix to the wet mix and fold gently until just combined. Don’t overmix!
- Bake – Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
- Cool – Remove from the oven and let cool (in a pan) on a rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool fully before frosting.
- Start the Frosting – Add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer (or a large bowl for use with a hand mixer). Mix on low and build up to medium-high speed until the cream cheese is whipped and soft.
- Combine – Add the powdered sugar slowly, mixing on medium-high until the sugar is combined. Add the vanilla next. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the milk a little at a time until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Final Touches – Frost just the top of the cake! The finished product should look like a frothy pint of Guinness!
Even More Desserts to Try
If you love this chocolate cake recipe, here are a few more of my favorite chocolate dessert recipes!
Guinness Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 12 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup Guinness
- 3/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder unsweetened
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp molasses
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300g) (we use einkorn flour)
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp whole milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9″, straight-sided cake pan by buttering it well, then dust with 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder. Be sure to coat the bottom and sides well by shaking the pan, then tap over a trash can to remove the excess powder.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the Guinness and bring the mix to a simmer.
- Remove the pan from the heat and quickly mix the cacao/cocoa powder in the liquid. Whisk until smooth and allow to cool for 10 minutes. This blooms the chocolate and is crucial to the flavor!
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined. In another small bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt with a whisk until well combined.
- After the Guinness/cocoa mix has cooled, add it to the sour cream mix and whisk well.
- Add the flour mix to the wet mix and fold gently until just combined. Don’t overmix!
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
- Remove from the oven and let cool (in a pan) on a rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool fully before frosting.
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer (or a large bowl for use with a hand mixer). Mix on low and build up to medium-high speed until the cream cheese is whipped and soft.
- Add the powdered sugar slowly, mixing on medium-high until the sugar is combined. Add the vanilla next. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the milk a little at a time until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost just the top of the cake! The finished product should look like a frothy pint of Guinness!
Notes
Nutrition
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