Guinness Chocolate Cake is a moist cake with rich chocolate flavor and a hint of Guinness Beer. It’s topped with cream cheese frosting and each bite taste amazing.
Whether you are looking for a new St. Patrick’s Day dessert or just something to enjoy year-round, this recipe is a must try. It’s one of the best chocolate cake recipes with the perfect mixture of ingredients.
If you love this flavor, you should also make Guinness Brownies and Guinness Cupcakes. I absolutely love them and have made them for years.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
This delicious recipe that originated with Nigella Lawson is super easy to prepare. It uses mostly pantry ingredients that you likely already have on hand.
It’s easy to adapt to make cake layers or you can make a single layer Chocolate Guinness Cake like we did. It is a tasty dessert for anyone that loves chocolate.
Ingredients
Cake
- Large eggs. Room temperature is best.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla is suggested for best flavor.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Make sure to use unsweetened.
- Baking soda. Best Baking Soda Substitutes
- All Purpose Flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup to accurately measure the flour.
- Guinness Beer. This gives the cake a deep, roasted flavor.
Frosting
- Powdered Sugar. Sift until you don’t have any lumps.
- Cream Cheese. Make sure to use room temperature cream cheese.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. This needs to be chilled.
Get the entire ingredients for this recipe at the bottom of the post.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
- Step 2. Use a large bowl and whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.
Step 3. Add the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined. Once it’s mixed together, alternate between adding flour and the beer. Don’t overmix.
Step 4. Next, pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Oven times vary so keep a close eye on this. Allow to cool on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Step 5. While the cake cools, make the frosting. Use a large mixing bowl and beat the cream cheese with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer if you prefer.
Step 6. Next, add in the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Mix until the frosting is smooth and the desired consistency.
Step 7. Finally, remove the cake from the pan. It should be easy using the parchment paper. Place on a serving plate or cake stand. Carefully spread the frosting on the cake using an offset spatula. Do not frost the sides.
Step 8. Now, it’s time to slice and enjoy.
Storage
Cover leftovers in plastic wrap or place inside an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 3-4 days.
Expert Tips
- Room temperature. Make sure that all refrigerated items are at room temperature before making this cake to ensure that all the ingredients combine thoroughly and smoothly.
- Use fresh baking soda and baking powder. This will ensure your cake bakes properly.
- Don’t overmix the batter. This will make the cake dense instead of soft and fluffy.
- Keep the oven closed. Repeatedly opening the door and checking on the cake will interfere with the baking process
- Don’t skip sifting the powdered sugar. This will help to make your frosting smooth and lump free.
- Make ahead of time. Bake the cake and freeze up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, remove from the freezer and thaw overnight in the fridge. Then frost as normal.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
Make this easy chocolate cake today. Please leave a star rating and comment once you do.
Guinness Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Guinness Beer
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt until just combined.
- Then alternate between adding in the flour and the beer in starting with the flour and ending with the beer until both are combined. Mix each batch until just combined, being careful not to over mix the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Then place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before topping with frosting.
For the Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cream with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Mix until combined and the frosting is smooth.
To Serve:
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan with the parchment paper and place on a serving plate or cake stand.
- Scoop the frosting onto the top of the cake and then spread it around with swirls so that the frosting looks like the frothy top of a pint of Guinness (do not frosting the sides of the cake).
- Then the cake is ready to slice, serve and enjoy!
Love this recipe!