If you love the chocolatey of all chocolate-ness, you’ll love this cake. Made with the nectar of the gods ’tis. The Guinness in this cake bring brings out the deep, rich chocolate flavor of the cocoa. It also adds a little bitterness, which pairs so well with the sweetness, but not too sweet. Topped with a thick layer of Chocolate Ganache, infused with Irish Whiskey, what’s not to love?
Why make this cake?: It’s easy, peasy. Just two bowls and a saucepan. No mixer needed, just some arm strength. Remember ‘Guinness is good for you’ so if you drink enough, you’ll be prepared to whisk away!
Plus you’ll be the bell of the ball, the king of hearts, and applauded when you share this impressive cake with your friends and fam.
What you’ll need for your Guinness Chocolate Cake
- Dry ingredients: sugar, flour, sugar, baking soda, espresso powder, cocoa and salt
- Wet ingredients: Guinness (of course), buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
Ingredients needed for your Ganache Whiskey Frosting
- Sugar, flour, baking soda, espresso powder, cocoa and salt
- Cream, bittersweet chocolate (the good stuff), whiskey, vanilla and salt
Here are a few tips with making a chocolate cake
- Keep all ingredients at room temperature, they will mix better
- Do not over mix the ingredients, you don’t want to build up the gluten in the flour, that will make it tough. Mix until just combined
- Use oil in your cakes, for the moistest crumb
- Don’t over bake, this will make it dry and tough as well, especially a chocolate cake. It’s best to underbake a bit. The internal temperature should be no more then 195-200°
- Use really good chocolate, not chips. Chips have in ingredient in them that keeps them from losing their shape (think chocolate chip cookies)
It’s a good idea to omit the whiskey in the frosting if serving to children or those with sensitive issues to alcohol. Omitting is just fine, no substitutions are necessary. Most of the alcohol will burn off in the cake, but not all, so use caution if needed.
Why even use alcohol in baking?
Alcohol can play an important role in baking, I’m not adding Guinness, just to add Guinness. It has notes of chocolate and coffee, so it accentuate the added espresso and cocoa. It also helps with the moisture level of the cake, therefore the texture as well.
The whiskey in the frosting infuses its own flavor profile with the bittersweet chocolate, they marry beautifully together.
The Bundt cake scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Who can say ‘Bundt’ without saying ‘it’s got a hole in it’. Not me. 🙂
Guinness Chocolate Cake with Ganache Whiskey Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
The Guinness in this cake brings out the deep, rich chocolate flavor of the cocoa. It also adds a little bitterness, which pairs so well with the sweetness but is not too sweet.
Ingredients
Cake
- 11.2 oz. Guinness (one full bottle of the ebony nectar) or 1-1/2 cups
- 1 cup (scant) (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (affiliate link)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1–1/2 cups neutral flavored oil, sunflower works well
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 8 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons Irish Whiskey (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (affiliate link)
Instructions
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or grease a 12-cup Bundt Pan, making sure to get fat into all the nooks and crannies.
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, bring Guinness to a simmer. Add cocoa powder and espresso powder, and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla, whisking hard to ensure the eggs are well incorporated. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat well to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the flour ingredients and gently incorporate them, do not over-mix.
Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake cake for about 45-50 minutes. The key to a moist cake is not over to bake.
Cool for about 15 minutes, then tip the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For frosting:
Bring cream to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan, do not boil or burn. Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Add the hot cream to the chocolate, and let it sit on the chocolate for about 1 minute. Add the whiskey, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until melted and smooth. Leave room temperature until frosting is thick but still pourable and thickened, frequently stirring, about 30 minutes. It may take longer, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Place the cake on a serving dish or cake stand. Pour the frosting over the cake until it flows over the sides. Let set for 1-2 hours before serving.
See, super easy peasy.
More dessert recipes using Irish Whiskey and Guinness
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