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!

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.
Jump to:
- 🥘Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪How to Make Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Frosting
- Tips for Baking with Beer
- 🥗 What to serve with Chocolate Guinness Cake
- 🌡️Storage
- 👪 Serving Size
- ❔ Recipe FAQ's
- ☘️More St. Patrick's Day Desserts
- 📋 Guinness Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Irish Cream Frosting Recipe
🥘Ingredient Notes
You'll need the following ingredients for this delicious cake:

- Semi-sweet Bakers chocolate. Do not use chocolate chips.
- Unsalted butter. I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt in my recipes. Salted butter vary in terms of how much salt they contain.
- Guinness beer. I use Guinness stout beer (draft).
- Sour cream. Adds creaminess and moisture to this recipe.
And for the Chocolate Irish Cream frosting, you'll need:

Chocolate Baileys Frosting ingredients:
- Shortening. I use Crisco but you can use another brand of vegetable shortening.
- Dream Whip powder. Lends a really creamy texture to this frosting!
- Irish Cream. I use Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur.
- Milk. I use 1% milk.
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖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
- Non-alcoholic - you can use non-alcoholic beer and Irish Cream coffee creamer instead of liqueur
- Cupcakes -Pour the batter into lined cupcake tins and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes.
🔪How to Make Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Frosting
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C

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

Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe medium bowl and melt in the 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

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

Add in beer and beat for 20 more seconds

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

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

Meanwhile make the Irish Cream Frosting:
Add the shortening and mix while slowly adding powdered sugar.

Then add the cocoa, Irish Cream, and vanilla extract.
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.

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
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. Beer can curdle lower-fat ingredients, due to the acidity.
- Ideally, beer desserts are best served when they are freshly baked (if possible). The flavor of beer changes over time. If this is not possible, I suggest freezing this cake, and then serving it right after it's defrosted. I tested this and it worked perfectly!
🥗 What to serve with Chocolate Guinness Cake
Shepherd's Pie with Ground Turkey or a Turkey Reuben Panini pairs well with Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Cream Frosting. For drinks, try this Green Grasshopper Mocktail (shown)!

🌡️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 (frosted) 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.

❔ Recipe FAQ's
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.
Yes! You can use non-alcoholic beer and substitute Irish Cream coffee creamer for the Baileys in the frosting.
Yes, you can bake the batter in two 8-inch round cake pans instead of a 9x13 pan. Be sure to adjust the baking time to about 30-35 minutes
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.
☘️More St. Patrick's Day Desserts
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📋 Guinness Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Irish Cream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz baking chocolate
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup Guinness beer
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 cups all- purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Irish Cream Frosting
- 1 ⅓ cups vegetable shorting *I use Crisco
- 6 ½ cup powdered sugar/icing sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3 tablespoon Dream Whip powder
- ¾ cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ cup milk (add up to, depending on consistency you want)
Instructions
Chocolate Guiness Cake
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C.
- Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in large bowl.2 cups brown sugar packed, 2 cups all- purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt in microwave at ½ power for about 2 mintues, remove and stir after 1 minute, then in 30 second intervals until melted.*Alternatively, you could do this on the stove.4 oz baking chocolate, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Gradually add chocolate mixture and beat well.
- Add in beer and beat for 20 more seconds1 cup Guinness beer
- Blend in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, beat 1 minute at medium speed.2 eggs, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Grease a 9x13 pan (I use cake release)
- Pour batter into prepared 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.
Irish Cream Frosting
- Add the shortening and mix while slowly adding powdered sugar.1 ⅓ cups vegetable shorting, 6 ½ cup powdered sugar/icing sugar
- Then add the cocoa, Irish Cream, Dream Whip and vanilla extract, Add the milk a little at a time, until you get the right consistency. *if you want a thicker consistency, use less milk½ cup unsweetened cocoa, ¾ cup Baileys Irish Cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla, ¼ cup milk (add up to, depending on consistency you want), 3 tablespoon Dream Whip powder
- Once the cake has cooled, it can be frosted right in the pan
- Decorate with sprinkles (jimmies or non-pareils)
Notes
-
- 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. Beer can curdle lower-fat ingredients, due to the acidity.
-
- Ideally, beer desserts are best served when they are freshly baked (if possible). The flavor of beer changes over time. If this is not possible, I suggest freezing this cake, and then serving it right after it's defrosted. I tested this and it worked perfectly!
Terri Gilson
"Excellent cake!" "chocolatey and moist" -from my neighbor, Dave, who tested this cake!