Since I was previewing a St. Patrick’s day meal on the weekend, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for dessert. I had been seeing recipes for a chocolate stout cake around for a while and I really wanted to try it. I would not have thought about adding a stout beer like Guinness to a cake and I was very curious to see how it would work. I also liked the fact that this chocolate cake used sour cream which I also found interesting.
The last time that I made a cake I had problems getting the cake out of the pan so this time I made sure to grease the pan really well and I even greased the parchment paper liner. This time the cake came out of the pan like magic and the parchment paper pealed off of the cake with ease.
The cake came together quickly and easily. After I got it into the oven I had a chance to sit down and relax while finishing the rest of the open can of Guinness while the cake was baking. The chocolate stout cake turned out even better than I had thought would and I had high hopes from the beginning. It was nice and light and tender and moist and chocolaty and good!
Just when you thought it could not get any better than a chocolate cake with Guinness in it… how about topping it off with some Bailey’s cream cheese frosting? I could not pass up on trying the Bailey’s frosting from Nook and Pantry’scupcake version of the chocolate stout cake. An Irish beer and an Irish liqueur in one magically delicious dessert!
When doing food and wine pairing a rule of thumb is that the wine that went into cooking the meal would go well with the meal. I took that theory to the test and applied it to beer and I enjoyed a Guinness with the chocolate stout cake. Note: If you can find a chocolate stout, I would think that that would also work really well both in the cake and being served with the cake.
Chocolate Stout (Guinness) Cake
Stout brings out the flavours of the chocolate in this light and moist chocolate cake.
ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sour cream
directions
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan, remove from heat and let cool a bit.
- Mix in the stout and cocoa powder.
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl.
- Mix the stout mixture into the egg mixture.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Pour the batter into one or two greased and parchment lined circular cake pan(s).
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean. If you bake it in a single pan then it should take about 40-50 minutes. If you bake it in two cake pans then it should take about 20-30 minutes.
Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting
A cream cheese frosting spiked with Irish cream.
ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish cream
directions
- Cream the cream cheese.
- Slowly mix in the confectioners sugar.
- Slowly mix in the Irish cream.
Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake
Molten Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Cheesecake
Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake
Beer Bread
Guinness Chocolate Pudding
Bacon Guinness Chocolate Pancakes with a Frothy Whipped Cream Head and Guinness Chocolate Syrup
Dark Chocolate Souffle Cheesecake
Raspberry White Chocolate Lava Cakes
Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
Lemon Almond Cake
Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheesecake
I have made this chocolate stout cake before with plain cream cheese frosting, and I really like it. I am going to make is again this weekend. I was also going to make corned beef and colcannon. I think I will try your honey mustard recipe, it sounded really good! Love the blog!
That is a beautiful cake, look at all that delicious frosting!
Oh Kevin, just looking at this cake is enough to drive me to drop my fast! 🙂
Holy mother of baked goods, I want that NOW. I don’t say this lightly, but I want to crawl into my computer and eat that frosting.
Hum, looks delicious, and the best part is that you get to drink beer while the cake bakes, haha! Does it taste less sweet cake than regular cakes?
Baileys cream cheese frosting – wow! the cake just got better 🙂
I just love how you paired it with the Bailey’s frosting.. The next time I make frosting, I might have to flavour it with Bailey’s.
That is off the charts decedent and very dangerous!!
bailey’s cream cheese frosting???? my my, i need some of that right now 🙂
I love how the frosting drapes over the side of the cake…got an extra piece?
I am literally obsessed with bakery involving alcohol. I’m not sure why. I’ve got tons of Guinness recipes stored away…this looks amazing!
Kudos as usual
NAOmni
goodness, that looks so decadent. beer and cheese and CAKE. mmm…
Brilliant, you are brilliant. So perfect this is, this is a must try for me, by next week!
I love all the food you make one day I am definitely going to make something from your blog and let you know!!!!
I love how that frosting looks! And even better that it’s Baileys!
I never made this cake before, sounds really delicious Kevin.
Cheers,
elra
Awesome! I just bookmarked it. Now I need to find a reason to make it before St. Patty’s!
Looks absolutley delish! I especially love the frosting part.
That cake looks absolutely sublime, Kevin. Bailey’s and Guinness, you really can’t fail. Great job!
Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting…yummy!
I made it once using Delia’s recipe without the frosting..guess the creamcheese would make the cake tastes even better !
Yours looks great !!
Fantastic! That Stout Cake looks really scrumptious! I love the frosting…
Cheers,
Rosa
Ok, this is one of the greatest things ever baked. It’s just… yeah. Wow. I’m making it. Soon.
Kevin this looks absolutely moist and delicious! love that frosting too!
Beer in a cake? Why the heck not? Sounds really good Kevin.
This is definetly something for my husband!!! Wow, Kevin!!! But I will make this without the frosting!!! MMMMMM…..Beautiful picture!!!
Isn’t it a great cake, Kevin?! I love the deep richness the stout adds to the flavour.
A Bailey’s cream frosting ! Mmmmh… It sounds absolutely decadent! I love your blog!
Cheers,
Miette
What a unique use of Stout, the cake looks great =)
Wow beautiful and that frosting is to die for super delicious.
I have been meaning to make one of those myself. It looks really tasty, and I think your Bailey’s addition will work beautifully.
Wow, I want to try this when I’m free. Bailey Irish Cream is my favourite… the cake look so yummy!
Beautiful!!!! Looks like it didnt stick this time ? 😉 Great job! I love the Baileys cream cheese frosting too!
I’ve always wanted to try baking with beer! This cake is gorgeous and sounds so yummy…might just dash over to my neighborhood pub to grab some stout!
Ah!! You beat me to this! I’ve been wanting to bake this cake! Looks gorgeous, I’ll definitely bake this after the wedding!
I’ve made this cake several times and it’s always excellent. I have never tried the Bailey’s Cream frosting on it though. I have used that on brownies. What a great idea to use it on this cake. I am going to use that frosting also when I make it again!!!
Sounds like heaven!
Oooooh fantastic!!
absolutely perfect for St Paddys Day!!!!
or any day if u are baking for me :p
Definitely a cut (no pun intended) above the rest – this looks good sir!
OH my this looks and sounds very good! Send a some my way please.
Great Photo!
That lloks amazing. I have been wanting to try this kind of cake as well. I have found that any cakes with sour cream in the mix have been great recipes.
Your frosting looks incredible!
That looks delicious and very doable for me!
Wow Kevin!! You make allperfect and yummy!!! xxGloria
The frosting alone sounds to die for!
Delish looking cake and that frosting sound divine!
Maria
x
I made this a few months back for a dinner party and it was such a hit. I like the addition of bailey’s to the cream cheese! I will have to try that next time!
Well, I know what birthday cake I will be making for my husband. It looks absolutely perfect.
“I took that theory to the test and applied it to beer and I enjoyed a Guinness with the chocolate stout cake.”
Love this line! =)
Oh yeah, that looks good!
What a beautiful cake Kevin. I’ve bookmarked a recipe for a chocolate stout cake year ago and haven’t made it yet. I should make it with that frosting.
I don’t eat sweets often, but how could I resist this. Stunning!
Man, I can’t keep up! I’m going to have to make a special folder for just your recipes or recipes that you’ve passed along. While I don’t care for chocolate cake you have me wondering if this could be the cake to make to change my mind!
~ingrid
This looks delish! I’m gonna give this a try as dessert after my corned beef and cabbage! Better buy extra Guinness, though, if one’s going towards the cake!
I’ll definitely have to make this for my friends this St.Patricks Day. I know they’ll love anything with beer in it. Thanks Kevin!
this looks delicious!
That cake looks delicious!!
So many delicious Irish recipes popping up this week. This cake is totally one of them!
Wow, that looks awesome!
I think the ingredients sound great together, how can you go wrong right?
And, there’s no calories in that right? ;0)
Wow Kevin, this is awesome, I have to try your recipe one day, it’s very special combo: chocolate and guinness. And on top it has a Bailey’s Cream Frosting, must be divine!
That looks awesome. I wish I had some right now.
Chocolate Stout Cake is already good, but now put some Bailey’s cream cheese with it is something fantastic!
I made a chocolate cake with pureed tomatoes in it, and it was good enough to make a grown man cry. The fruits must just give it an added umph! Of course, I’m glad you were able to think of a good use for the rest of the Guinness Stout!
Oh my, I just whimpered in pleasure a little!
I reckon Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, which is lovely in it’s own right by the way, would go well in this, as would some green food colouring or sprinkles on top.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/youngs-double-chocolate-stout/139/
I have been eyeballing this cake for some time now…Looks yummo
Michael's last name is Stout & I think he would've loved this cake for his birthday (naturally). Maybe next year, looks great!
Oh my god, I just died and went to heaven. I am SO making this. Like, tomorrow.
Can you taste the beer in it??
Love the idea of adding Bailey’s to the frosting. The photo looks great with the frosting dripping over the side.
Oh, does that picture look amazing or what! I think it’s the gooey frosting that does it, but I’m craving cake terribly now.
Chocolate goes well with any alcohol doesn’t it? I’ve made a chocolate kahlua cheesecake before, but never thought to mix stout with chocolate (except Young’s Double Chocolate Stout in a can 🙂 – thanks for the sharing this recipe!
This cake is a winner. It’s going to make it’s debut at hubby’s St Pat’s day party for work. Thanks for sharing – I can’t wait to try this@
I’ve had coca cola cake but never stout cake…wow! it looks amazing! 🙂
I bookmarked this on title alone. Didn’t even have to read the rest.
I’m so glad you made this combination and it worked. I’ve had both that frosting and a Guinness cake bookmarked to make for a relatives birthday this weekend!
There was a subtle aroma and taste of the beer under the chocolate.
Mmmm … Bailey’s!
Mmmmmm! Chocolate and Bailey’s, you really can’t go wrong with that combination. Your cake looks fabulous.
Looks divine 🙂
What a great idea to pair the cake with Bailey’s!
And drinking beer with cake! That’s a new one!
Sometimes I bump into raspberry beer and such. Do you think those would work too?
Kevin, I am always searching for new/innovative ideas for simple cakes with an oomph, so I’ve launched a “Cake Collection” happening last night with a giveaway: http://www.familyfriendlyfood.com/2009/03/launching-cake-collection-with-a-giveaway/
Would you do me the honor and submit this cake to my “collection”? There’s a giveaway too…
Nurit
That looks divine! I’m not a fan of Guinness or Bailey’s by themselves but I love them in food.
i’ve always wanted to try this combination. mm. yours looks great!
Nurit – 1 family. friendly. food: I have never tried it with a non stout beer. I see no reason why it would not work, though it would be different. Raspberries go with chocolate and trying new things is always fun.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! My attempt is in the oven! Can’t wait to try it! Love your blog by the way 🙂
This cake is in the oven right now. I’ll take it to work Monday morning and report back.
I made this yesterday. Thanks for a great recipe! That frosting is dreamy…
great recipe!
The cake was a HUGE hit at the office — it’s light and moist and perfectly chocolate. The icing was too sweet for my taste, I drizzled it on rather than frosting the cake completely and the office folks loved it. I put the extra out so people could add it as they saw fit and quite a few did. Delicious recipe
Great post…we gave it a shout out on our blog with an OM NOM Nomination.
OH MY! This one is fantastic, I have to try it absolutely!!!! I love Bailey’s (and of course I love chocolate), sooo good!
My daughter in law and I made this cake from your recipe and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing it with us!
This is a great picture! I imagine the cake was great too.
Kevin, Just wanted to let you know how much I love your site AND this cake in particular
Wow, how on earth did I miss this one? And with 95 people commenting before me, I think I’m the ONLY person to miss it. 😉
This cake looks fantastic, Kevin! I wonder what else that frosting would be good on…I’ve got a large bottle of Irish Cream in the fridge. Yum!
i just stumbled upon this cake last week it looks really good and smells really good too (it in the oven right now) i might have to kick the baileys up a little bit as long as i can keep good concistancy i am very excited about eating it
yum, i want to make this! do you think that the frosting would keep in the fridge for 3 days? I want to make one batch of cupcakes for a party on sat, and one for another on sunday, and would love to make the icing only once. thanks!
Sarah: The frosting should be good in the fridge for 3 days.
Oh my god, I think I'll be taking this little miracle to my future in-laws' St Patty's dinner!
This cake is too good to not try but I'm making it for a large group so doubling the batter recipe and making a layer cake with it. Do you think it would be frosting overkill to use this between the layers and on top? If so, would a chocolate ganache work well in the middle with the frosting on the top?
Meghan: A layered version sounds good! The frosting would work well in the middle though the chocolate ganache also sounds good!
WOW! Made this recipe into cupcakes for the office for St. Pat's day and they were a huge hit!
So I made it again, in two layer cake form, adding three teaspoons espresso powder to the cocao powder, and using a chocolate cream cheese icing. It's possibly the BEST chocolate cake I have ever had! Divine!! Thank you for sharing!
this is DIVINE!!! My good friend made it for me…and I ate them alllllllll …. there goes my diet!
Truly a fabulous, decadent dessert! So easy to make as well. The Bailey's cream cheese frosting really makes it! Goes great with a cup of coffee!
Just made these into cupcakes, and they turned out so great! I used knockoff Baileys because it was a lot cheaper, but the bonus was I didn't feel too bad using it liberally in the frosting 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!!
I made this for my sister's birthday cake this weekend, and everyone was blown away. So. Crazy. Good. My mom, the best baker I know, the woman who taught me everything I know, dubbed this one of the best cakes she's ever had. It has an awesome crumb – moist yet dense (in a great way,) just sweet enough without being too much.
I made 2 nine inch cakes, and it was awesome with a layer of frosting in between. Two things – I for some reason has an awful time getting the cake out the pans. Could very well be I was using old, crappy pans. Next time I'd probably add a dusting of cocoa to the pan in addition to greasing. Also, I doubled the frosting and had to thicken it up quite a bit. I wouldn't want to lose any of the Bailey's flavor (SO good!) so I'd probably just up the cream cheese and powdered sugar somewhat.
Thank you so much for the recipe! I'll definitely be making this again…and again….and again….
I don't usually post comments, but made this last night and it was SO WONDERFUL!!! Great job!
-Morgan
can i bake this in cupcake molds? is that possible? thank-you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Mei mei: These will definitely work as cupcakes, though the baking time will be les, about 15-20 minutes.
This recipe could be use for cupcakes?
gabrrrr: Yes, you can use this recipe for cupcakes as well. The baking time will be around 15-20 minutes.
one of the best chocolate Cake recipe ever I had seen Thanks for sharing this weekend with you cake recipe.
The perfect combination! Guinness, Chocolate AND Bailey's!
Last year for a St. Paddy's promo I made two kinds of Guinness Cupcakes for my clients. One was with butter, and it was soooooo much tastier than the oil variety. I will try this, this weekend. Thanks.
My Chocolate Stout cake turned out spectacular but I have a question about cooking with Guinness. My husband asked if I should have poured the entire can of Guinness into a mug first so the nitrogen could be released? I just poured the amount I needed and left the rest in the can not activating the little canister thus not a lot of pretty foam. What are your thoughts?
This cake was to-die-for!!!! Rave reviews from all my guests and I even had friends come over today to sample toe leftovers because they had heard about it! I bakes it into a layer cake and doubled the frosting to add some as a filling and to cover the sides. I used baking Pam and that worked like a charm. Reading the recipe again today, I am actually wondering if I accidentally used 1cup of sour cream…I kind of remember filling my measuring cup 3 times. My only changes were using low fat cream cheese and low fat sour cream. Cut out a few calories 😉 What would happen if I didn't use as much butter or cut it out all together??
Hi, what would 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
be in terms of weight in grams?
Thanks for the info,
Alexa
Alexa: 1 cup of butter is 226g.
anyone try this is cupcake liners?
Hi Kevin,
Wondering why the cocoa powder is included with the wet ingredients and not the dry (flour and sugar)? Mine got quite lumpy in the butter/Guinness mixture. I think it would be much better if it was mixed in with the dry.
Also, I cooked mine as 2 9" rounds. It took 45 minutes to cook!
This will be my fourth time making this cake. It is my husband's favorite and it is now tradition to make it for his birthday, as well as for St Patrick's day!
Jojo: I am glad that you like the cake! I prefer to mix the cocoa powder into the wet ingredients because I find that it combines better and it should easily melt into the simmering liquids with a bit of whisking. Was the cocoa powder really packed in when you added it or nice and loose? Mixing it in with the dry ingredients would definitely work!
I always recommend using the toothpick method for deciding when the cake is done as every oven is a little different and things like altitude and moisture can affect the baking time.
instead of cocoa powder, can I use melted dark chocolate? and can I use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream? Can I sub some of the butter for applesauce?
redvolvo: I have not tried it but you should be able to replace the cocoa powder with 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and reducing the butter by 1/4 cup.
Made this cake and would totally make it again!! So moist and delicious you could eat it without frosting!!!
Anonymous: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Was what should be adjusted for high altitude baking? My bf loves this cake and requested it for his bday this year but we are at a much higher elevation now.
Kevin!!! Oh my!!! This looks like a bit of heaven. You just helped me decide what I will serve for dessert at dinner this weekend with good friends. Can’t wait to try it. The icing…oh wow, it sounds delish!
If I bake the cake in an oblong Pyrex dish, how long will it take to bake?
The baking time is going to depend on the size of the dish. If it is a large one (9×13 inch) start checking at about 30 minutes and a smaller dish will be closer to 40 minutes. The 9 inch diameter circular pan that I use takes about 45 minutes. The real test is when a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
Kevin, I love your recipes and your creativity, but you are shooting yourself in the foot!
There are two things that have made your site too annoying to peruse anymore.
One, 85% (or more) of your reviews are useless “looks good” “can’t wait to try” drivel. Not your fault!
Two, the invasive relentless ads that pop onto each and every screen are more than I can stand. There has to be some kind of balance…
Too bad. Done.
Best wishes going forward.
Just made this cake this morning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and it is even more delicious than it is easy! The only thing I’d recommend and will do myself the next time is double the frosting recipe, particularly if I do the 2 cakes again (which I probably won’t, since 1 cake is much easier to deal with). It’s absolutely scrumptious but it needs more frosting! YUMMY!!!!!!!
I made this last year and it was fantastic! Big hit.