Chocolate Guinness Cake with Chocolate Irish Cream Frosting

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This Chocolate Guinness Cake with Irish Cream Frosting is a simple one-pan cake that's moist and chocolatey and ideal for St. Patrick's Day or Father's Day. Made with Guinness Beer and Baileys Irish Cream Frosting (without butter) it's rich and indulgent and so worth every calorie!

a piece of chocolate guinness cake on a black plate with a pan with more in the background

This cake boasts a rich chocolate flavor, inspired by my Sour Cream Chocolate Cake. and my No Bake Baileys Cheesecake. The frosting was inspired by my Chocolate frosting (without butter). It pairs well with this Reuben Soup and Garlic Bread.

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🥘Ingredients
🔪Instructions
📖Variations & Substitutions
🥗 Pairing
🍽Equipment
🌡️Storage
👪 Serving Size
💭Top tips for baking with beer
🦺Food safety
❔ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
⭐ COMMENTS & REVIEWS
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📋 Guinness Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Irish Cream Frosting Recipe
☘️More St. Patrick's Day Desserts

🥘Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients for this delicious cake:

4 oz semi-sweet bakers chocolate
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness beer *I use Guinness stout beer (draft)
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

And for the Chocolate Irish Cream frosting, you'll need:

ingredients in chocolate irish cream frosting labelled and in bowls

Chocolate Baileys Frosting ingredients:

1-⅓ cups Crisco or another brand of vegetable shortening
6.5 cups powdered sugar/icing sugar
3 tbsp Dream Whip powder *or substitute another powdered whipped dessert topping
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp vanilla extract
¾ cup Baileys Irish cream liqueur
¼ cup milk - add a little more or less, depending on consistency you want *I use 1% milk

🔪Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C

Flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in mixing bowl

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

butter and chocolate melted in medium glass bowl with black spatula in bowl

Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe medium bowl and melt in microwave at ½ power for about 2 minutes, remove and stir after 1 minute, then in 30-second intervals until melted

Alternatively, you can melt it in a large saucepan over low heat

chocolate added to dry mixture in glass bowl

Gradually add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and beat well.

Add in beer and beat for 20 more seconds

eggs, sour cream and vanilla added to mixture in glass bowl

Blend in the remaining wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream, and vanilla), and beat 30 seconds at medium speed.

greased cake pan with a bottle of cake release and a bowl of batter in the backgroun

Grease a 9X13 pan (I use Cake Release) or you can use non-stick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking.

Pour wet batter into greased pan.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees/176 degrees C for 40-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

shortening and powdered sugar in glass bowl with black spatula

Meanwhile make the Irish Cream Frosting:

Add the shortening and mix while slowly adding powdered sugar.

cocoa, vanilla, Irish cream and milk added to mixture in glass bowl

Then add the cocoa, Irish Cream and vanilla.

Then add the milk, a little at a time, until you get a smooth texture and the right consistency. * If you want a thicker consistency, use less milk.

Cake covered in frosting right in the pan

Once the cake is cool, you can frost the cooled cake right in the pan, using a butter knife to make swirls

Add rainbow sprinkles (non- pareils or jimmies.)

Slice into 12 pieces with a serrated knife

📖Variations & Substitutions

Beer - you can use another type of Guinness beer such as a lager or blonde
Dream Whip - you can use a different brand of whipped cream powder
Irish Cream - you can use another brand of Irish cream or homemade Irish cream
Butter - you can use salted butter and skip the salt in the recipe
Milk - you can use 2% or whole milk instead of 1%
Shape - you can make this into a layer cake by using 2 8 inch round pans
Cupcakes - cook for ½ the time (about 20-25 minutes)
Non-alchoholic - you can use non-alcoholic beer and Irish Cream coffee creamer instead of liqueur

🥗 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Cream Frosting:

🍽Equipment

You will need an electric mixer or a stand mixer, and a 9X13 cake pan. I like to use the type of pan that comes with a lid so I can easily transport it. A cake tester also comes in handy for this Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe. You could also make this cake in 2 round 8-inch layer cake pans.

🌡️Storage

Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you're just storing it overnight, it can be covered in plastic wrap.

It can be frozen (iced) for up to 3 months in an airtight container

👪 Serving Size

This recipe makes 12 servings. But the pieces can be cut smaller and you can get 15-20 pieces. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

a pan with chocolate guinness cake with a glass of beer and can of beer in background

💭Top tips for baking with beer

Room-temperature beer that has just been opened works best. Allow it to sit for at least 5 and let the foam dissipate minutes before adding it to the recipe.
It's best to use full-fat dairy when baking with beer, as it can curdle lower-fat ingredients, due to the acidity.
Ideally, beer desserts are best served when they are freshly baked (if possible), as the flavor of beer changes over time. If this is not possible, I suggest freezing this cake, then serving it right after it's defrosted. I tested this and it worked perfectly!

🦺Food safety

Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw eggs
Wash hands after touching raw eggs
Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov

❔ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why bake with beer?

Beer is a natural leavener, adding moisture and a complex depth of flavor to baking. It also creates a tender delicate crumb (due to the alcohol preventing gluten formation), which is ideal for cakes.

⭐ COMMENTS & REVIEWS

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So if you're looking for a delicious and rich chocolate cake for a St. Patrick's Day party you'll love this Guinness Chocolate Cake! It's easy to take along to a potluck.