📋 Easy Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Frosting Recipe

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

5 from 1 vote

📋 Easy Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Frosting Recipe

This Easy Chocolate Guinness Cake with Chocolate Baileys 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, it's a rich and indulgent treat!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword angel food cake, chocolate, Guinness, Irish cream

Special Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings large pieces

Calories 947kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

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)

Get Recipe Ingredients

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 seconds
1 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 milk
½ 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

Expert Tips for Baking with Beer:

Let the Foam Settle: When measuring your Guinness, pour it into a glass and let it sit for 5 minutes until the foam (the head) has dissipated. You want to measure 1 cup of liquid, not 1 cup of foam!
Room Temperature is Key: Make sure your eggs and sour cream are at room temperature. If they are too cold, they can cause the melted chocolate and butter mixture to seize up or curdle when they hit the bowl.
Don't Over-mix: Once you add the flour to the wet ingredients, whisk only until the white streaks disappear. Over-mixing leads to a tough, dense cake rather than a fluffy one.
The Sift Trick: Always sift your powdered sugar and cocoa powder for the frosting. Because this frosting is butter-free, sifting ensures you get that spectacular, velvety-smooth finish without any lumps.
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.

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.

Note: If you make a layer cake you will need all the frosting, but if you make a 9X13 you likely won't. You can freeze any leftover frosting for up to 3 months in an airtight container. You can also freeze the frosted cake.

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