Guinness Cake with Irish Cream Frosting

The simplest (and BEST) one bowl chocolate Guinness Cake

As Guinness cakes go, this snack cake version is one of the absolute simplest, and I promise you the absolute most delicious. It’s not fancy, just pure perfection from the tender chocolate cake to the outrageous Irish Cream buttercream! This recipe is just another example of how you don’t need to get complicated to make an incredible dessert. I can’t think of a better use for a bottle of Guinness stout!

ingredients for Guinness cake

The cake itself is naturally vegan, made without any dairy or eggs. I think you’ll be amazed at the light fluffy texture and deep rich chocolate flavor.

• all purpose flour
• granulated white sugar
• cocoa powder
  • I use Hershey’s regular cocoa powder, mixed with a small amount of Hershey’s Special Dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder to get that deep rich color. Make sure you are using unsweetened cocoa powder!
• Guinness stout beer
  • this recipe is formulated to use 1 bottle of Guinness Draught. You can substitute any type of stout or dark beer you like.
• mild vegetable oil
• baking soda and salt
• vanilla extract

ingredients for Baileys Irish Cream frosting

The creamy swath of Irish Cream frosting is meant to resemble the froth on a perfect pint of Guinness! While some Guinness cake recipes call for a chocolate frosting, I think this one

• unsalted butter
• powdered sugar
• heavy cream
• Baileys Irish Cream

method

This is a super quick and easy cake that you can throw together with one bowl and a whisk.

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl
2. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until blended.
3. Transfer to your cake pan and bake. Easy peasy.

Baileys Irish Cream frosting

The frosting is equally as fabulous as the cake itself ~ it’s a basic buttercream flavored with a few tablespoons of Irish cream liqueur. The result is so delish. I think Baileys just begs to be used in desserts ~ check out my Irish Coffee Cheesecake Bars and my No Churn Bailey’s Ice Cream. Suffice it to say the frosting bowl was licked clean.

Many recipes for Guinness cake call for a cream cheese frosting. I like my butter based recipe better because it lets the Bailey’s flavor shine. Another benefit ~ it doesn’t need to be refrigerated the way cream cheese based frostings do. You can make this in the morning to serve at night and let it sit on the counter. The texture of the cake and frosting is better that way.

what happens when you bake a cake with Guinness beer?

If you thought Guinness cake was just a cute idea for St. Patrick’s Day, think again. Long story short, Guinness makes a better chocolate cake!

1. Beer adds a light, airy texture to cake batter ~ the carbonation in the beer creates bubbles in the batter, which helps to leaven the cake and give it a lighter texture.
2. Guinness adds a subtle malty flavor to the cake batter ~ but honestly, it’s hardly noticeable.
3. Beer contributes moisture to cake batter, making it more tender. This is particularly true when using a heavier beer like stout, which has a higher sugar content that also helps keep baked goods moist.
4. The yeast in Guinness interacts with the baking soda in the cake batter, causing the cake to rise more quickly and resulting in a lighter, fluffier texture.

the bottom line

I can’t recommend this cake strongly enough. It has a beautifully light texture that is hard to come by in a from-scratch cake. And it’s one of the easiest chocolate cakes I’ve ever made. It’s a great little dessert to serve any time of year, but of course it’s pretty perfect for St. Paddy’s Day. Using oil instead of butter insures that the cake stays extra moist, and a good amount of cocoa powder results in a rich chocolatey flavor. From now on I’ll keep a bottle or two of Guinness in the pantry at all times just to make this amazing little cake.

Variations & FAQs

different pan sizes

You can bake this up in a 9″ cake pan or springform pan if you prefer a round shape. It can be doubled for a layer cake, or for a 9×13 sheet cake. You can bake this cake in a bundt pan, and you can even make Guinness cupcakes!

does Guinness cake taste like beer?

No it doesn’t! The beer adds a background rich malty note, but the flavor is 99% chocolate.

which Guinness beer should you choose for baking cake?

Choose Guinness Draught, which is the classic Irish dry stout. It has a smoother flavor and a lower alcohol content than Extra Stout, and is perfect for making chocolate cake.

does the alcohol cook out of Guinness cake?

Not all of the alcohol will cook off as your Guinness cake bakes, but the alcohol content of Guinness itself is relatively low (around 4.2%), so even if some alcohol remains in the cake, the amount per serving is likely to be minimal. The Baileys frosting, however, is not cooked and will retain the alcohol content. This cake is not for children in any case.

what other types of beer can you use for Guinness cake?

You can use another brand of stout beer, a porter, or any dark ale.

can you make a non-alcoholic Guinness cake?

Yes, it is possible to make Guinness cake without alcohol. There is a non-alcoholic version of Guinness called Guinness 0.0. This product is made using the same ingredients as regular Guinness, but the alcohol is removed through a special filtration process. The result is a dark, malty, and slightly bitter beverage that is similar in taste to regular Guinness, but without the alcohol content. Another option is to substitute the Guinness with an equal amount of a dark soda, such as cola or root beer.

For a non-alcoholic frosting, just leave out the liqueur and add more cream.