This Guinness chocolate cake is made with dark stout beer that enhances the chocolate flavor of the cake. Finished with a Guinness white chocolate ganache drizzled on top, a small piece goes a long way for this rich cake!
Baking this cake in a Bundt pan makes it super easy to bake, transport and serve. This versatile recipe can be made in cake pans and layered with buttercream or cream cheese frosting as well! This is a great cake for St. Patrick's day, Father's day, or for any beer lovers.
Table of contents
Guinness Beer Cake Ingredients
Guinness is an Irish dry stout beer. It has a malty sweetness and a hoppy bitterness with notes of chocolate and coffee, which is why it adds so much flavor to this delicious cake. The alcohol does bake out of the cake so very few traces of alcohol are consumed while eating the cake. The alcohol actually tenderizes gluten, making the crumb of the cake more tender and dense, and adding moisture to the cake.
Sour cream adds moisture and tang to this cake, the acidic nature of sour cream reacts with the cocoa powder and baking soda to give us a dense tender cake crumb.
Making Guinness Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a Bundt pan with cake goop or pan release spray. Make sure to coat the sides and center of the pan well.
- Add the butter and Guinness to a heat proof container and heat it in the microwave until the butter is melted. Or, in a large saucepan, heat beer and butter until butter is melted then remove from the heat.
- Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Then mix in the butter and beer mixture on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. This can also easily be mixed with a hand mixer.
- Combine the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl then add the wet ingredients to the beer mixture and mix until combined.
- Combine the flour and the baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients into the beer mixture until smooth. Make sure to scrape the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake at 350ºF/175ºC for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes and flip the bundt onto a cooling rack to cool fully. The ganache can be prepared just prior to displaying or serving the cake.
Making Guinness White Chocolate Ganache
- Add the white chocolate and the beer to a medium or large bowl.
- Microwave the chocolate mixture for about 30 seconds until the chocolate begins to soften. It’s best to do this in 10-second increments so that the chocolate does not overheat too quickly in one spot.
- Let the chocolate sit for about 3 minutes and then add the butter and whisk until smooth. If the butter is not melting out, heat it in the microwave again for just a few seconds at a time.
- Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and set it aside until you are ready to pour it on top of the cake. You may need to slightly reheat the ganache if it cools quickly.
- Place the cooled cake on a serving plate and slowly pour the ganache around the top of the cake. The ganache should be the temperature of a caramel sauce.
- To store the Bundt cake, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month. Pro-tip: Don't freeze the entire cake, wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and freeze them. Then you will have a slice of cake anytime!
FAQ
No, not necessarily, you can swap out whatever dark beer you would like, the aspect of the Guinness stout is the chocolate flavor that deepens the flavor of the cake. You can leave the alcohol out altogether and use coffee, milk, or just water. For the ganache, I recommend swapping the beer for heavy cream. However, the beer does create a very moist chocolate cake.
Most local grocery stores carry stout beer. Especially during the month of March for St. Patricks Day celebrations.
Yes, This recipe will bake a nice layer cake, it will fill three, 6-inch cake pans or two, 8-inch pans.
Cake layers would pair really well with vanilla buttercream frosting, chocolate buttercream, or cream cheese frosting. This flavor also pairs great with baileys Irish cream, for a really St. Paddy’s celebration.
This bundt would be elegant with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder, as well as a dark chocolate ganache.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Equipment
- 1 bundt cake pan
Ingredients
Guinness Cake Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup natural cocoa powder like Hershey's brand
- ½ cup butter
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup Dark Guinness Beer
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Guinness Ganache Drip
- 1 ounce Guinness beer
- 1 ounce butter
- 6 ounces white chocolate
Instructions
Making Guinness Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a Bundt pan with cake goop or pan release spray. Make sure to coat the sides of the pan well.
- Add the butter and Guinness to a heat proof container and heat it in the microwave until the butter is melted. Or, In a large saucepan, heat beer and butter until butter is melted then remove from the heat.
- Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Then mix in the butter and beer mixture on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. This can also easily be mixed with a hand mixer.
- Combine the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl then add the wet ingredients to the beer mixture and mix until combined.
- Combine the flour and the baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients into the beer mixture until smooth. Make sure to scrape the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake at 350ºF/175ºC for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes and flip the bundt onto a cooling rack to cool fully. The ganache can be prepared just prior to displaying or serving the cake.
Making Guinness White Chocolate Ganache
- Add the white chocolate and the beer to a medium or large bowl.
- Microwave the chocolate mixture for about 30 seconds until the chocolate begins to soften. It’s best to do this in 10-second increments so that the chocolate does not overheat too quickly in one spot.
- Let the chocolate sit for about 3 minutes and then add the butter and whisk until smooth. If the butter is not melting out, heat it in the microwave again for just a few seconds at a time.
- Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and set it aside until you are ready to pour it on top of the cake. You may need to slightly reheat the ganache if it cools quickly.
- Place the cooled cake on a serving plate and slowly pour the ganache around the top of the cake. The ganache should be the temperature of a caramel sauce.
- To store the Bundt cake, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month. Pro-tip: Don't freeze the entire cake, wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and freeze them. Then you will have a slice of cake anytime!
Beatriz V says
Oooooh my gaaaaaawd this has become my favorite chocolate cake! I added some dark chocolate bits cuz why not lol and the Hubby and I fell in love...the smell was hypnotic...we ate it warm with the frosting melting off. We ate half the cake in one sitting...yup no regrets! Can't wait to try all thses recipes! Thank you!!!
Daniella says
Made this for my husband for father’s day and it was so good. Paired it with a peanut butter Swiss meringue buttercream. Delicious! This recipe made a 6” cake and 20 extra cupcakes!
Stacy says
So delicious!
Julie says
Do delicious and moist
Coin bonheur says
Hello, what can we substitute the beer with ? ( a non alcoholic product please)
The Sugar Geek Show says
Water 🙂
Mariya says
Try another recipe if you want to substitute the main ingredient. Beer cake needs beer.
Gloria says
My husband loves Guinness. I must bake this for him. Which frosting did you use?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Chocolate ganache
Marilee Knapikchristensen says
Can you use a none alcohol for this?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can use coffee or water but it won't have as strong of a chocolate flavor
Emily says
LOVE this recipe!!
Afua says
Hi,
Can i substitute the sour cream with greek yogurt?
If not, is there anything else that i can use instead of sour cream? It isn't common in my side of the world :-0
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can
Afua says
Thank you
Afua says
Hi,
Can i replace the sour cream with greek yogurt.
If not, is there anything else that i can replace it with?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you could use yogurt
Rubi says
Hi,
This recipe sounds very good, can I keep this in the refrigerator or it will get dense? if so, can I substitute butter with oil?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can refrigerate but you want the cake to come to room temperature (for a few hours) before serving so the butter has a chance to warm up. You cannot substitute butter for oil in this recipe
Rubi says
thank you so much 🙂
Anisha says
Please elaborate on the different brands of beer we can use in this receipe.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I am really not familiar with all the different brands, any dark beer would work well though
Amita says
Is beer room Temperature or cold
Elizabeth Marek says
Room temperature
Sugey says
Can I use any type of beer or should it exclusively be dark beer?
Sugar Geek Show says
dark beer works best, but you don't have to use guinness.
Kyna says
Would the alcohol be evaporated enough for kids to eat this?
Sugar Geek Show says
Definitely 🙂