This easy chocolate Guinness cake is the perfect St.Patrick’s Day dessert!
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.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl
- Add the wet ingredients and whisk until blended.
- 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!
- 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.
- Guinness adds a subtle malty flavor to the cake batter ~ but honestly, it’s hardly noticeable.
- 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.
- 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.
now for the rest of your Irish meal!
- Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread
- Irish Brown Bread
- Traditional Irish Leek and Potato Soup
- Dublin Coddle ~ a quick cooking Irish stew!
- Authentic Irish Colcannon Recipe (Mashed Potatoes with Kale)
- Instant Pot Irish Stew
- Authentic Irish Apple Cake
- How to Make Homemade Irish Cream
- No Churn Bailey’s Ice Cream
Guinness Cake
Equipment
- 9×9 baking pan
- parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used a combination of natural and Dutched cocoa powder)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 11.2 ounce bottle Guinness Draught beer
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Irish Cream frosting
- 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
- 3 Tbsp cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. The paper is optional but helps to lift the cake out after baking for easier slicing.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl to combine well.
- Add the extract, oil, and beer to the bowl and whisk until combined. Just whisk until everything is combined and there are no dry streaks left, but don't over beat your batter.
- Turn the batter into your prepared pan. I tap the pan on the surface of the counter once.
- Bake for about 28-30 minutes, or until the top is risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without obvious wet batter on it. There may be moist crumbs. You don't want to over bake this cake. Note: don't open the oven door prematurely or the cake can sink in the middle.
Irish Cream Frosting
- Beat the soft butter, powdered sugar, Irish Cream, and cream together until smooth. Add more cream or Irish Cream if your frosting seems too thick. If it seems too thin, add a bit more sugar.
- When the cake is completely cooled, frost it.
I made this last year for a family birthday and it was such a hit, it was requested again for this year, but in cupcake form! I saw the comment about mini cupcakes. How many regular cupcakes would this make? I feel comfortable assessing the baking time, but wondering how to portion out the batter. Thanks!
i made this as a base for simple layer cake. the cake grew a dome in the oven and after taking it out it flattened out but it was fine, good crumb, soft anf fluffy.
the only issue i had was baking time, mine needed about 40 minutes but of course all ovens are different.
it is a very good recipe, thank you!
Easy recipe. Very rich dessert.
Where is the egg in this recipe??
This cake recipe doesn’t include eggs.
Hi, Sue! From another website recipe, I made a Guinness chocolate cake with ‘reduced’ Guinness extra stout beer, both in the batter and in the frosting. It got rave reviews!
I plan to make your recipe, now, and am considering ‘reducing’ the Guinness beer, as well, to simmer off the alcohol and keep the intensified malty flavor.
Additionally, I could purchase a non-alcoholic version of Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur for the frosting….OR, I wonder if Bailey’s could be simmered down, too, to boil off the alcohol and keep its flavor possibilities. What do you think? Thank you!!
I’ll be interested to hear how the beer reducing goes, sounds interesting. I’m not sure reducing the Irish cream would work, but honestly I’ve never tried!
Celebrated St. Patrick’s Day yesterday because our daughter and her husband are here. They are leaving today as they have to work tomorrow. Only 4 of us for dinner – and half that cake is already gone. It is delicious. Thank you!
Thanks so much Nikki, glad it was a hit!
Chocolate Guinness Cake a la “Depression/Wacky Cake”, love it and looking forward to making it soon! Is this also posted on IG?
I have had a more elaborate recipe for Guinness chocolate cake for many years, but this one beats it hands down. In fact I don’t think there is a better chocolate cake anywhere! And no eggs! The frosting is Devine if a bit over sweet but certainly a great partner with the cake. I have also found it stays moist and is easier to cut on the first and second day. Don’t know if I will ever know if it is as good on the third day as we keep eating it all before then. Thanks from Brisbane Australia
Hi can you switch out the beer and if so with what? more oil? or flavoring? Thank you
Hi Doreen – unfortunately I don’t recommend swapping out the beer in this recipe, since it makes up so much of the batter and also helps with the cake rising. Sorry! You can, however, use a non-alcoholic beer if you like.
Sounds delicious! How long would you bake if making mini cupcakes? Thanks for another beautiful recipe!
Hi Susan – I haven’t tried this recipe as mini cupcakes, but most mini cupcakes take around 10-15 minutes to bake, so I would check them around 10 minutes and go from there. Hope this helps!