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Rich, moist, and packed with deep chocolate flavor, this Guinness chocolate cake is the kind of dessert that feels indulgent yet completely effortless to make. The stout beer enhances the cocoa in the best way possible, giving the cake a slightly malty depth while keeping it incredibly soft and tender.
If you’ve never baked with stout beer, this recipe is proof of how magical it can be. The carbonation helps create a fluffy texture, while the bitterness balances the sweetness of the cake. It’s the perfect dessert for St. Patrick’s Day, a special occasion, or any time you’re craving a rich and moist chocolate cake.
This recipe was originally published in February 2015 and has been updated with more information and cooking tips to better help you recreate it in your own kitchen.
Why This Recipe Works
This isn’t just any chocolate cake. It has a few key elements that make it stand out.
- Guinness deepens the chocolate flavor – The dark, malty notes in stout beer enhance the richness of the cocoa.
- Sour cream makes it extra moist – A little tanginess creates a soft, tender crumb that melts in your mouth. You’ll find similar results with my Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe.
- A simple batter that comes together fast – No complicated steps so anyone can easily make this recipe, regardless of cooking experience.
Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below. The recipe card also allows you to easily scale the recipe, and ingredient amounts will automatically adjust.
How to Make Guinness Chocolate Cake
This cake is easy to make, and the results are stunning. Always refer to the recipe card below, but here’s the process at a glance.
- Melt the butter with Guinness – Heat the stout beer and butter together, then whisk in cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla bean for a smooth, rich base.
- Prepare the dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine everything – Stir eggs and sour cream into the chocolate mixture, then mix it into the dry ingredients in stages.
- Bake to perfection – Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.
Learn From Me: Tips for the Best Chocolate Cake
After testing this recipe multiple times, I’ve found a few tricks that guarantee success.
- Grease the bundt pan well – Since this is a rich cake, use plenty of butter or nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
- Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly – If it’s too hot, it could scramble the eggs when mixed in.
- Use good-quality cocoa powder – The better the cocoa, the richer the chocolate flavor. Valrhona is my favorite brand. I use it to make my Brown Butter Brownies.
Frosting & Topping Ideas
This cake is incredible on its own, but if you want to take it up a notch, try one of these toppings:
- Cream Cheese Frosting – A thick, tangy frosting that pairs beautifully with the dark chocolate cake.
- Mascarpone Frosting – Light and delicate, perfect if you want something a little less sweet.
- Chocolate Fudge Frosting – If you want double the chocolate, you can’t go wrong with this.
- Guinness Chocolate Sauce – Serve this cake a la mode with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and this warm chocolate sauce. You could even make Salted Caramel Sauce.
When to Serve This Cake
This Guinness chocolate cake is perfect for:
- St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – Because nothing says Irish-inspired baking like a stout-infused cake. I use Guinness stout in tons of recipes including Irish Stew, Instant Pot Corned Beef, Shepherd’s Pie, Guinness Beer Bread, and even a Guinness Float.
- Dinner parties – It’s simple yet impressive, making it great for entertaining. Everyone will be so surprised when you tell them it’s a Guinness cake!
- Any day you need a chocolate fix – Because let’s be honest, that’s most days.
How to Store & Freeze
This cake stays moist for days, and you can easily store leftovers.
- Room temperature – Keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate – If frosted, store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze for later – Tightly wrap slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
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Pin ItGuinness Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup stout beer Guinness Stout recommended
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean split
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
- 3/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a Bundt pan.
- In a medium pot, melt 1 cup unsalted butter with 1 cup stout beer over medium heat. Once melted, turn off heat and whisk in 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 cups granulated sugar, and 1 vanilla bean. Allow the mixture to cool while you prepare the next steps. Once cooled, scrape the vanilla bean pod, leaving as many seeds in the mixture as possible and discard the empty pod.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Add 2 large eggs and 3/4 cup sour cream to your chocolate mixture.
- Add 1/3 of the chocolate liquid mixture to the flour mixture and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the remaining wet ingredients and beat on low until well combined. Scrape sides and beat until fully combined.
- Bake in preheated oven in prepared pan until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes. Carefully invert onto a plate. You may need to use a knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan before you invert. Enjoy alone or top with frosting.
Notes
- I recommend slowly pulling the cake away from the sides of the pan and maybe even using a knife for better separation.
- The vanilla bean can be replaced with one tablespoon of pure vanilla extract, if needed.
- Nutritional information is for the cake and does not include any frosting
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Pin ItBlood Orange Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice from about 2 oranges
- 2 vanilla beans scraped
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream together cream cheese and butter until completely smooth.
- Add orange juice, vanilla bean, and orange zest. Blend until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, blending until smooth and creamy.
- Frosting will have a consistency between a thick buttercream and a glaze.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am so happy I found this again! I made it last year and it was incredible. I am definitely making it again this year!
Wow – a special dessert for adults only! Love it!
Actually, any alcohol burns off so anyone can eat it.
Made this over the weekend to take to a neighbor’s house for a get together. Only modification I made was using pure vanilla extract. The cake was perfect; moist, not too dense, and very flavorful. Had to bake it about 8 minutes longer than what was listed in the directions, but that’s a variable one expects. I only had jumbo eggs so I believe that had some bearing on the extra time needed to bake this cake. This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made and everyone commented on how great it tasted. I decided not to make any icing for it and that turned out to be a good decision as it didn’t need any. In the future I may try an icing or some fresh whipped cream with a couple of fresh strawberries.