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A dark chocolate Guinness cake topped with fluffy white icing

Guinness Chocolate Cake

5 from 10 votes

Guinness Chocolate Cake - lightly sweet, moist chocolate cake with interesting spicy notes from the stout Guinness Foreign Extra stout beer.

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Rich and moist Guinness Chocolate Cake

A dark chocolate Guinness Cake on a cake stand

 

Guinness Chocolate Cake is great for St. Patrick’s Day or for the chocolate lover in your life!

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon and we’re ready with this FANTASTIC Guinness Chocolate Cake. No worries if you’re not a fan of the “black stuff”, you probably won’t notice the subtle beer flavor.

You may however, notice the moist tender crumb, the rich chocolate flavor, and the wonderful light spicy notes in this deliciously not-too-sweet black cake.

Topped with a simple cream cheese icing adding richness without an over-the-top sugar rush, this is truly one of our all time favorite cakes. I’ve made this cake many times over the years, in fact, I’ve probably made this chocolate cake more than any other.

We’ve even served this Guinness cake without the icing. Everybody agrees this cake is delicious both ways.

Ingredients set out on a cutting board for a Guinness Chocolate Cake

Ingredients for Guinness Chocolate Cake:

For the Guinness cake:

  • Guinness Stout Foreign Extra Beer
  • unsalted butter
  • unsweetened cocoa powder
  • granulated sugar
  • sour cream
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • salt

For the icing:

  • cream cheese, room temperature
  • powdered sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • whipping cream

Guinness Chocolate Cake is easy to make with a few simple steps:

  • Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl in the microwave.
  • Add the beer, sugar and cocoa. Whisk until blended.
  • In a large measuring cup, combine the eggs, vanilla and sour cream.
  • While whisking the beer and sugar mixture, slowly drizzle the sour cream mixture into the bowl.
  • Add the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk until smooth.
  • Pour into the prepared tube pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
  • Cool and top with cream cheese icing.

That’s it! Serve and enjoy.

Guinness beer being poured into a glass with a foamy head

The cake is designed to mimic a pint of beer with a creamy white, frothy head.

I bet you agree; this cake looks like a Guinness beer! The cake is dark, just like Guinness and the icing looks like the creamy head!

A slice of Guinness Chocolate Cake on a plate

The cake has interesting flecks of red from the dark stout Guinness.

I adapted this cake from a recipe by Nigella Lawson. Her recipe recommends baking in a 9-inch springform pan. Many years ago, when I first tried this cake, I baked it in a springform pan but the center fell and didn’t bake well all the way through. I thought the cake might be too thick.

Next, I tried baking the cake in a tube pan that would distribute the heat better – like it does for Angel Food or Pound Cake. That Guinness chocolate cake came out perfectly baked with no dried out edges and underdone middle. Now, this is the only way I bake this cake!

A sliced dark chocolate Guinness cake topped with cream cheese icing

Can you freeze Guinness Chocolate Cake?

This Guinness chocolate cake ages beautifully (maybe better the second day?) making it dangerous to keep in my refrigerator. The cake freezes perfectly, but is best frozen without the icing.

If you’re a chocoholic like me – save some carbs for this wonderful treat!

A slice of Guinness Chocolate Cake on a platter

Can you use any kind of beer in a Guinness Chocolate Cake?

One of the things that makes this such a great cake, is the unique and bold flavor of the Guinness Foreign Extra. The flavor is more like the Guinness you’ll get in the pubs of Ireland. I don’t recommend using a milder beer as the flavor won’t be as rich.

The extra stout beer makes all the difference in the success of this cake. Guinness Foreign Extra is available in a small 4-pack at many well stocked grocery stores in case you don’t want to buy a lot of beer.

An overhead view of a sliced chocolate Guinness cake with cream cheese icing

Does this Guinness Chocolate Cake taste like beer?

It’s a fun and delicious dessert – not at all weird or beery. Guinness chocolate cake is lightly sweet and moist, but not at all wet. It’s a flavorful cake with interesting spicy notes from the stout Guinness Foreign Extra Beer.

A slice of this cake even goes well with a cold Guinness on the side, making this a great “party” dessert for your St. Patrick’s Day get-together.

Thanks for PINNING!

A sliced chocolate cake with white frosting on a cake stand

A dark chocolate Guinness cake topped with fluffy white icing

Guinness Chocolate Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
Course: Cake, Dessert
Author: Tricia
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5 from 10 votes
A lightly sweet and moist chocolate cake, with wonderfully interesting spicy notes from the stout Guinness Foreign Extra Beer. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or for the chocolate lover in your home! 

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 9 ounces unsalted butter melted (18 tablespoons or 255g)
  • 1 cup Guinness Stout Foreign Extra beer (250g)
  • ¾ cup all-natural unsweetened cocoa powder measured before sifting (70g)
  • 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (386g)
  • ⅔ cup sour cream (142g)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (285g)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the icing:

  • 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (170g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup whipping cream (100g)

Instructions

To prepare the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Grease the bottom of a straight sided tube pan (9.5 inches) and line with parchment paper cut into a circle to fit. Grease the sides, center tube, and parchment paper or spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Melt the butter and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the beer, sifted cocoa powder, and granulated sugar. Whisk until blended.
  • In a small mixing bowl combine the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
  • While gently whisking the beer mixture, slowly pour the egg and sour cream mixture into the large mixing bowl.
  • Combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Fold the flour into the egg and beer mixture and whisk until blended.
  • Pour the batter into the greased and lined tube pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out with no raw dough - moist crumbs are okay.
  • Cool completely before removing from the pan and icing.

To prepare the icing:

  • In a small cold bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low until combined. Top the cake with dollops of icing to resemble the frothy head of a pint of Guinness.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 886kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 581mg | Potassium: 278mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 1766IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 3mg

Guinness

Here’s a photo taken from the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin Ireland. Everybody (of a certain age) gets a free Guinness at the end of the tour. Each time we’ve visited the Storehouse, it was early in the day. Beer for breakfast – such a great way to start a day of site seeing in Dublin

Here are a few more wonderfully fun Irish-inspired desserts you might like:

Check out SRFD’s Irish archives for more delicious recipes:

Finally, don’t forget to check out our Ireland Travel Posts for tips and tons of photos!

Originally posted March 2015, updated February 2020

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58 Comments

  1. Emily

    Hello. This cake looks amazing. I plan to make it Wednesday and serve it Friday. Should I put it in the frig after it cools, until Friday? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Emily. Yes I would refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. If you want to wait and ice on the cake Friday you can keep the it at room temperature well sealed in an airtight container. Enjoy! This is one terrific cake.

      Reply

  2. Jen

    This looks delicious! Has anyone tried making it as cupcakes? Trying to be COVID-friendly and want to bring this in cupcake form for a coworker’s birthday!

    Reply

      • Jen

        5 stars
        I ended up making the recipe in cake form, and it turned out amazing! So moist, an amazing, fragrant chocolate cake smell, delicious cake, and the cream cheese frosting was the biggest hit. There were multiple suggestions that I save this recipe and make it for others!

        Reply

  3. Lauren

    If I want to make a layered cake with this, would it work for two 8” round pans or would you recommend doubling it? Thank you!

    Reply

  4. Danielle

    5 stars
    Quick question, I don’t have a tube cake pan but I do have a 9″ spring-form pan. Do you know how I can make this recipe work with a spring-form pan instead?

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Danielle – years ago I made mine in a springform pan. The center always sunk a little and the outside edges seemed dry to me. If you have a Bundt pan, I would use that. However, the original recipe was created to be made in a springform pan. If you want to try it, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and increase the baking time. The cake will be delicious either way. Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. mimi rippee

    This cake is gorgeous. Guinness is my husband’s favorite beer, so I know he’d love the cake. It’s incredible to me that it’s almost st. patrick’s day!!!

    Reply

  7. Mary

    Chocolate cake is my very favourite cake and with the addition of Guinness it must be sensational!!
    Can’t wait to start eating this – looks wonderful. ?

    Reply

  8. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers

    5 stars
    Yes please! I have made a Guinness chocolate cake before and was amazed at the moistness and flavour of the cake. And that cream cheese frosting is just the perfect topping for this cake. I will be stealing a can of Guinness from my husband for this one 🙂

    Reply

  9. Betty

    I’ve never been a fan of Guinness to drink, but it does make a lovely cake! This looks so chocolatey and delicious. I made a gingerbread stout bundt cake ages ago and the Guinness gave it such a lovely dark flavor that’s really hard to describe. Except for Good. I think my co-workers would love this next week, don’t you? 🙂

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Guinness is so much better in Ireland and we were told it had to do with the way it is made and how well it travels. The version used in this recipe is very close to the taste we loved in the pubs. I know your coworkers are going to love it! Thanks Betty

      Reply

  10. Susan

    Thought I had left a comment but I must have only read your post when I received the post by email. Duh! Gorgeous photos! The cake looks so moist and delicious that I’m drooling 🙂

    Reply

  11. Linda Paganetti

    Tricia, this cake was DELICIOUS! I love when Ed brings your baked goods to work. I brought home a piece to my boyfriend, and when I said Guinness cake he gave me a funny look. I turned around for a minute and when I looked back, it was almost gone. I said didn’t like it all, did you? We both love this cake!

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Thanks for being such a great taste-tester Linda and so happy you liked it. I have not heard one “less than enthusiastic” comment about this cake. We loved it and had to get it out of the house – haha – have a great weekend and thanks for the comment!

      Reply

  13. Daniela

    That’s an amazing dessert and not only for St.Patrick’ s celebration.
    Love the combination with chocolate and Guinness. This sweet is on my bucket list.

    Reply

  14. John@Kitchen Riffs

    I haven’t had Guinness chocolate cake in ages. Years. You’ve smitten me with yours! It looks terrific. BTW, you have a really interest photo style — I really like how you’re using your lighting. Anyway, good post — thanks.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Thanks so much John. I always use natural light. In this photo I set up in front of my dining room window with afternoon sun. I put a white plastic shower curtain over the window to act as a defuser. I most always use a tripod for these shots where I have more time. Sometimes I use reflectors to bring light to the back or sides but in this shot I wanted the dark and interesting look. Thanks so much!

      Reply

  15. tanna

    Tricia, these photos could be in a very luxuriously papered magazine! They are stunning! I’m in love with this cake and the Guinness and I haven’t even tasted it! Ha! Best St. Patty’s Day dessert I’ve ever seen… and with your “favorite” recommendation, it has to be a winner! Thank you! blessings ~ tanna

    Reply

  16. Dom

    I have yet to make this classic cake and I have seen many but I have to say that yours, with your beautiful, dark photography really looks the business! I must try this so I know how amazing it tastes. A gorgeous cake!

    Reply

  18. michael

    That’s a beautiful cake, it looks so moist and super decadent …. and DELICIOUS!!! By the way I made your muffins on Sunday and they were great! Just showed Debbie your cake, I will be making this one too! For the grand kids what do I use as a substitute for the Guinness? I use butter instead of the whip cream for my cream cheese icing!
    Great photography too!! You should post this one on Instagram with the hashtags I emailed you! Your package will arrive tomorrow!!

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Thanks so much Michael – I can’t wait to see my new scoop! I need to head over to Instagram – sometimes it just seems getting the posts done is all I can manage – haha! Have a wonderful week.

      Reply

  21. Monique

    Great to know a tube/bundt could work;)
    it looks rich and delicious..
    I think we have a small quandry..I follow you to see everything you share..but it doesn’t seem to work..could be a matter of time..
    I am so patient.

    Reply

  23. Beth

    What a perfect St Patrick’s day dessert! The cake is lovely paired with the cream cheese icing. I’ve used Guinness in gingerbread with great results.

    Reply

  24. Monica

    Looks insanely delicious…love how dark it is and you know I’m over the moon for anything with chocolate! I can see from the crumb how moist it is and how well it would keep…I love it when the cake is enough to satisfy me because I’m all about the cake (though that cream cheese frosting looks amazing on top)! It’s great you worked it out and tested it for us (love the tube pan tip). Great tribute to St. Patrick’s day and Ireland, Tricia!

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Haha – you are too sweet! Cheers to you both as well. Hope you get to try this one day – it really is amazing. I think I’ll bake it annually – just to keep in the spirit. Have a wonderful week ladies!

      Reply

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