Chocolate Guinness Cake - St. Pat's Dessert! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2024)

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posted by Liz Berg

on March 13, 2022 (updated 10/22/22)

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This Chocolate Guinness Cake is a rich dessert spiked with Guinness ale and topped with cream cheese icing. This easy one-layer chocolate cake recipe makes the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert!

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, I decided to update this old post for an Irish dessert. Nigella’s Guinness Cake is a rich, dense chocolate cake flavored with an Irish brew that was perfect for the holiday.

Chocolate Guinness Cake - St. Pat's Dessert! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (1)

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Expert Tips

3 Frequently Asked Questions

4 You May Also Like:

5 Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe

Why You Must Make

Green desserts seem to be the trend when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day treats. But a delectable chocolate cake flavored with some Guinness definitely qualifies as celebratory Irish fare.
A Stout Chocolate Cake is a nice change of pace from the green and mint desserts associated with the holiday.
Even if you aren’t a fan of beer or stout, you’ll love this cake. Adding alcohol to a cake recipe helps enhance the flavors without adding an alcoholic taste.
Chocolate cake + Cream cheese frosting = A delicious dessert.

Chocolate Guinness Cake - St. Pat's Dessert! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2)

Expert Tips

Make sure to grease your springform pan well and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. This will make for a clean release from the pan.
PRO-Tip: Cool the cake completely before removing it from the pan. As it cools, it will shrink a bit, making it easy to remove while keeping the sides pristine.
PRO-Tip: My last Guinness cake recipe sunk a bit in the middle. I found that if I baked for the longer time listed in the recipe, the cake did not sink at all. It was still very moist. As always, baking times are dependent on how your oven cooks.
To frost, scrape the frosting into the middle, then start swirling it with a knife or offset spatula. Leave a small rim of the cake exposed for the best presentation.
Store in the refrigerator, but wrap the sides in plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying out.
Try a chocolate stout instead of Guinness to shake things up.
A touch of Baileys Irish Cream in the frosting is delicious, too.
Serve with a glass of Guinness for a real Irish treat!

This chocolate Guinness cake recipe is from Nigella Lawson, one of my favorite chefs. She adds some Guinness stout to her chocolate cake recipe and tops it with a cream cheese icing fluffed up to imitate the head of foam on your favorite brew. It’s perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day dessert. Even if you don’t enjoy drinking beer or stout, you’ll love this chocolate cake recipe.

Chocolate Guinness Cake - St. Pat's Dessert! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (3)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Children Eat Guinness Cake?

Unless there is a true alcohol allergy, this Guinness cake should be OK for children to eat. Much of the alcohol evaporates during the baking process. Cakes that are soaked in an alcohol syrup should be avoided.

How Long Does Guinness Cake Last?

If stored airtight so the cake doesn’t dry out, it should stay fresh for at least 3-4 days.

How Do You Decorate a Guinness Cake?

This Guinness Cake Recipe was created to resemble a glass of Guinness stout. The chocolate cake represents the dark stout and the fluffy frosting represents the frothy head of foam that tops the glass.
To decorate, frost only the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to make swirls.

Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 30 minutes

Yield12 servings

A rich, dense chocolate cake made with Guinness stout and topped with a fluffy cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

For the cake:

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

For the frosting:

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper.
In a saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium heat until butter melts, then remove from heat.
Add cocoa and sugar, and whisk to blend.
In a large bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Add Guinness mixture to bowl and whisk.
Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth.
Pour into prepared pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.
Sift powdered sugar into a medium bowl to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
Remove cake from pan and place on serving dish. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson.

Using a springform pan helps the sides release cleanly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 473Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 422mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 1gSugar: 46gProtein: 5g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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Cakes Chocolate Desserts Holidays

posted by Liz Berg on March 13, 2022
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91 Comments on “Chocolate Guinness Cake”

Karen (Back Road Journal) — March 20, 2022 @ 10:41 am Reply

St. Patrick’s Day is long gone just like every slice of this cake would be in our house. Delicious!
Eva Taylor — March 13, 2022 @ 7:40 am Reply

Oh my, that cake looks absolutely glorious! Cream cheese icing and chocolate are one of my favourite combos! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Renee Goerger — February 29, 2020 @ 8:16 am Reply

This is such a beautiful cake. The flavors of the chocolate and Guinness go so well together!
Claudia Lamascolo — March 10, 2018 @ 6:54 am Reply

what a wonderful cake to celebrate St Patricks Day! love it!
See Also
Chocolate Guinness Cake Guinness Cake Is chocolate cake the secret to good mental health? The 80/20 rule says yes!Learn How to Enjoy Guinness at Home
Rebecca {foodie with family} — March 13, 2017 @ 9:33 am Reply

Another Nigella fan here! And this cake looks insanely good! Thanks for mentioning my Guinness Double Malted Chocolate Milkshakes!
The Ninja Baker — March 13, 2017 @ 1:54 am Reply

I’ll substitute the green for the Guinness in cake any day! Cream cheese and cream in frosting works for me, too =)
Sandra Garth — March 12, 2017 @ 12:26 pm Reply

I set out to make this last year in a bundt pan. The pan had some scratches and the cake didn’t release well at all. Not willing to toss the cake I made cake truffles instead. Waste not want not! Hopefully this year I’ll have better luck.
Emma @ Bake Then Eat — March 10, 2017 @ 7:10 pm Reply

I love Nigella her cakes are always the best and this one looks amazing 🙂
Laura | Tutti Dolci — March 9, 2017 @ 6:52 pm Reply

This is my kind of cake, and I love that thick layer of dreamy frosting!
John/Kitchen Riffs — March 8, 2017 @ 9:54 am Reply

Love Guinness and love this cake! We don’t make it often, but always devour the whole thing in record time when we do. 🙂 Yours looks excellent — good recipe. Thanks!
Katerina — March 8, 2017 @ 2:51 am Reply

What a luscious, fluffy cake! I love it!
Carolyn — March 7, 2017 @ 10:50 pm Reply

Totally gorgeous!
Eva Taylor — March 7, 2017 @ 7:09 pm Reply

This is definitely a winner in my books, I adore Guinness and when I’ve used it in stews it bakes into a rich thick sauce and I can well imagine how wonderful it is aired with chocolate. And then there is the cream cheese icing, so delicious. I love Nigella too, I used to love her show, particularly when she would sneak down in her dressing gown to steal a bite of her food!
Evelyne CulturEatz — March 7, 2017 @ 4:39 pm Reply

Oh that cake is so good, I know it well. Guinness really paris so well in bothswet and savory recipes. And you can still go goreen after drinkign to make Guinness beers lol!
Carrie | Carrie's Experimental Kitchen — March 7, 2017 @ 3:52 pm Reply

Oh Liz this looks fantastic! I have some Guinness left over from a new recipe I just made, I’ll have to try this one soon!
Lynn@Happier Than A Pig In Mud — March 7, 2017 @ 6:58 am Reply

The cake sounds great… and so do those onion rings:@)
Claudia Lamascolo — March 7, 2017 @ 6:29 am Reply

What a yummy cake to serve for this festive holiday time!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert — March 7, 2017 @ 5:56 am Reply

One of my favorite cakes to eat and make! A great way to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day and a little Guinness!
handmade by amalia — March 7, 2017 @ 5:27 am Reply

This looks like sin on a plate. Yum.
Amalia
xo
manu — March 7, 2017 @ 2:36 am Reply

It looks perfect!
May I have a slice, please?
Love
Amanda-The Sweet Details — November 14, 2012 @ 3:11 pm Reply

I just thought I’d let you know I featured this recipe on my blog today! Have a great day!! 🙂
Lizzy — November 16, 2011 @ 2:19 am Reply

I hope you enjoy it, Bear Giant! Thanks for stopping by~
Bear Giant — November 15, 2011 @ 10:14 pm Reply

Lovely! I love the look of that slice. It sure looks mouth watering. Can’t wait to have one. Thanks a lot for the recipe. Hope I can bake it just like the way it is.
Desi — November 1, 2011 @ 4:23 pm Reply

Interesting… I would have never thought to add Guiness beer to a chocolate cake. Your photos look beautiful, though I’m not a huge fan of chocolate cake. I’d love that frosting!!
Paula — October 27, 2011 @ 3:30 am Reply

This is a very elegent looking cake and I love that your frosted just the top.
Ꮮуռ (ᶬˠ ᶩᶤᵗᵗᶥᵋ ᵐᵋˢˢᵞ ᴻ ᶜʱᵋᵋᵏᵞ) — October 25, 2011 @ 10:35 pm Reply

What an unique beer flavored chocolate cake and it looks so delicious, moist and love those cream cheese frosting especially. 😉
Grubarazzi — October 25, 2011 @ 5:01 pm Reply

This is such a unique and delicious looking cake. I can only imagine how thick and moist it is, and that cream cheese frosting is really gilding the lily…but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
RavieNomNoms — October 25, 2011 @ 6:46 pm Reply

GAH! This is amazing! Chocolate guiness cake?! WHOA…I am on overload right now…deeeeeelish
Sandra — October 25, 2011 @ 12:36 pm Reply

Very tempting, and I like the fluffed up cream cheese frosting.
Elyse @The Cultural Dish — October 25, 2011 @ 11:22 am Reply

I love Guinness cake so much! Isn’t it just so delicious with the frosting?? I love the kind of coffee flavor the cake gets with the Guinness… mmmmmm
Baker Street — October 25, 2011 @ 6:07 am Reply

The cream cheese frosting looks and sounds super delicious! chocolate and guinness … umm. I would like my share NOW! 😉
Angie's Recipes — October 25, 2011 @ 4:56 am Reply

Pretty flower pattern of cheese frosting. The cake sounds amazing!
Reem | Simply Reem — October 25, 2011 @ 4:35 am Reply

LOVELY!!!!
Liz you make such awesome dessert sweetheart that now I have no more words to describe how amazingly delicious and awesomely beautiful they look and sound….
I only wish if I could dig my for into this rich beauty right now…
Yummm…
Foodness Gracious — October 25, 2011 @ 4:31 am Reply

Intriguing post using Guiness, and judging by the comment count a pretty popular click or maybe it’s just you 🙂
Great SRC post!
See Also
Is Guinness really ‘good for you’? | CNN
Nami | Just One Cookbook — October 25, 2011 @ 4:18 am Reply

Not only it looks beautiful but this cake has beer in it? Wow! While I don’t bake any cake and drool over your sweets, you are constantly baking something yummy. I have a lot to catch up in terms of baking. 😉
Anne@frommysweetheart — October 25, 2011 @ 3:49 am Reply

What an awesome cake, Liz! I love cream cheese icing and I love how that sits so thick and perfect on top of that slice! What a great assignment you got. Love to discover new blogs, too!
Alida — October 25, 2011 @ 1:42 am Reply

This cake looks fantastic! I have never had stout with chocolate and after seeing your cake, I think I need to change that soon!
Ann — October 25, 2011 @ 1:39 am Reply

Delicious! I’m constantly surprised at how delicious stout is with chocolate. We used to live near an artisan chocolatier who made stout chocolate truffle….and it was incredible! A surprising taste that was amazing!
Cake — October 25, 2011 @ 1:13 am Reply

YUM! I love stout cakes and the cream cheese frosting just sets this one on fire! Delicious!
Dee at Deelicious Sweets — October 25, 2011 @ 12:14 am Reply

I can never keep Guiness around long enough to bake or cook with it! This sounds delightful though. I may have to hide away one and make this. Great SRC choice!
K and S — October 25, 2011 @ 12:13 am Reply

love guinness cake! this looks wonderful!
Juliana — October 24, 2011 @ 11:51 pm Reply

Liz, beautiful cake, especially with the cream cheese frosting…great pictures!
Hope you have a great week ahead 🙂
Cassie//Bake Your Day — October 24, 2011 @ 11:28 pm Reply

Yum, Liz! What fun flavors. It’s so beautiful, as always!
Teri@thefreshmancook — October 24, 2011 @ 10:07 pm Reply

This cake sounds fantastic and is so pretty to look at. What a great post!
Christine's Pantry — October 24, 2011 @ 9:44 pm Reply

Beautiful cake. I’d like a piece of cake. 🙂
Lola Lobato — October 24, 2011 @ 9:28 pm Reply

Another great cake!!! love the British baking recipes.mmm
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. — October 25, 2011 @ 1:01 am Reply

I can definitely see why you picked this cake! It looks so rich and yummy!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie — October 24, 2011 @ 8:24 pm Reply

Wowza! I made a guinness brownie once but this takes the cake (haha look at me being funny). I really like how the frosting looks like the foam for the beer. Yum!
Cucina49 — October 24, 2011 @ 8:11 pm Reply

Lizzy, I’m with you–I LOVE Nigella–and cream cheese icing!
Hester @ Alchemy in the Kitchen — October 24, 2011 @ 8:09 pm Reply

Mmmmmm Guinness and chocolate and sour cream and cream cheese – Lizzy, you’ve done it again. Sigh!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet — October 24, 2011 @ 8:01 pm Reply

This cake sounds so delicious! I’m not surprised at all that you picked it. Lovely SRC post.
Steve @ the black peppercorn — October 24, 2011 @ 11:59 pm Reply

I love how this looks like a pint of guiness with the foam! great job liz!
Three-Cookies — October 24, 2011 @ 7:48 pm Reply

I’ve always been curious about trying chocolate cake with stout, its supposed to add lot of flavour and moistness. Eating a slice everyday is evidence enough that he liked it
Veronica Gantley — October 24, 2011 @ 7:47 pm Reply

Wow what a wonderful cake. Looks like you got a great blog for SRC. Thanks for sharing.
Miriam — October 24, 2011 @ 7:34 pm Reply

That chocolate ake rocks! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen — October 24, 2011 @ 7:21 pm Reply

Your cake looks divine! Love the ingredients – have seen this recipe in Nigella’s book but never made it – I think I will now!
Thanks 🙂
Mary x
Lilla — October 24, 2011 @ 7:13 pm Reply

As usual, your cake looks delicious, and this time so new for me!! I love the idea of mega chocolate bar in the background of your pics 🙂
Kristy — October 24, 2011 @ 6:57 pm Reply

I’ve seen these done as cupcakes before but your cake looks just beautiful!!
Curry and Comfort — October 24, 2011 @ 6:54 pm Reply

Cream cheese frosting is the best! I would eat my arm if you covered it with that stuff. Mmmmmm! Beer in cake… give it to Nigella to come up with that one! You did an excellent job as always Lizzy! I still drool over the way you apply your icing. So very pretty! 🙂
Tina — October 24, 2011 @ 6:40 pm Reply

I have always thought that Guinness’s rich malty flavor was a good pairing with chocolate! I am glad this is just a one layer cake-anything bigger would have been too much. Adding That thick layer of cream cheese icing is a nice plus. Thanks for pulling this one out to showcase, I have saved the recipe. Well done.
Cookin' Canuck — October 24, 2011 @ 6:27 pm Reply

Guinness is good enjoyed any way and I can imagine that this would become one of my favorites.
Shabs — October 24, 2011 @ 6:14 pm Reply

I have no idea what Guinness is , but the cake looks so delish and I love and always use cream cheese frosting , not a big fan of buttercream .
Nava.K — October 24, 2011 @ 6:01 pm Reply

Hi Liz, your time of posting your recipe seems to coincide with me coming back home from work and how not to look out for all the amazing desserts. Have been trying some simple ones and will share soon.
You take care Liz.
Elisabeth — October 24, 2011 @ 5:54 pm Reply

Lizzy-I’ve never had a chocolate cake, or for that matter any cake with Guiness in the batter. I bet it made it more moist, and decadent. Your cake turned out beautiful…as always!
The frosting is so yummy, and delicious. Overall, superb job!
xoxo
Rhonda — October 24, 2011 @ 5:47 pm Reply

Beer in a cake, how could you not love that. And Guinness has a chocolate flavor to it. Love it.
Torviewtoronto — October 24, 2011 @ 5:10 pm Reply

yummy looking cake
DWei — October 24, 2011 @ 5:02 pm Reply

Do the red velvet cake next! 😀
Julia — October 24, 2011 @ 4:42 pm Reply

I sorta want to make this for dinner. And eat the leftovers for breakfast. Looks DELICIOUS!
Melanie — October 24, 2011 @ 4:34 pm Reply

I’ve been making this cake for a few years now, and it’s always a big hit! I’m so glad you liked it too.
Adam — October 24, 2011 @ 4:18 pm Reply

looks good
Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking — October 24, 2011 @ 4:08 pm Reply

Lizzy, you’ve done it again, beautiful job! I love that she has a “Delicious and Unhealthy” section on her blog! We all need that!
Looks delicious and I have to say, MUCH better than Friday’s dish. 😉
Lisa~~ — October 24, 2011 @ 4:06 pm Reply

Oh my your cake looks good and you can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting, YUM!If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC recipe this month: Thin Mint Irish Coffee.Lisa~~Cook Lisa Cook
Lisa D. — October 24, 2011 @ 3:06 pm Reply

Yum! One of my favorites, too!! Great choice 🙂
Cindy — October 24, 2011 @ 3:02 pm Reply

Wow! That is one awesome looking cake!
Kelly | Eat Yourself Skinny — October 24, 2011 @ 2:45 pm Reply

So glad to be in Group C with you Lizzy, this cake looks fantastic! Great SRC post!! xoxo
Gloria — October 24, 2011 @ 2:27 pm Reply

Amazing and delicious recipe dear Lizzy (Like always dear) and your pics absolutely beauty!, gloria
Erin — October 24, 2011 @ 2:19 pm Reply

Sounds like a good cake to me! Love making desserts for SRC!
Hope you had a good trip to IC!!
SoupAddict — October 24, 2011 @ 6:11 pm Reply

Oh yeeeeah. Not a big beer drinker, unless it’s encased in a sugar-flour pillow. And the cream cheese head? Pure brilliance!
Sandi — October 24, 2011 @ 2:11 pm Reply

Finally…something useful & yummy comes from the taste of Guinness!
BigBearswife — October 24, 2011 @ 1:49 pm Reply

haha I always click on desserts first on a blog too! haha. Wonderful choice for SRC!
Glad to be in Group C with you!
The Mom Chef — October 24, 2011 @ 1:32 pm Reply

How can anyone not like cream cheese? I’m still trying to get past that one. Of course, with me not liking chocolate I guess I should sit down and shut up, huh. 🙂
This look fantastic. I’d think that the molasses flavor from that dark beer would marry well with the chocolate flavor. The cream cheese; sweetener extraordinaire.
As always, you did a beautiful job (rassin frassin).
Kate — October 24, 2011 @ 1:31 pm Reply

It is hard for me to wrap my mind around a cake/beer combination….but, I must admit it sure looks moist and the frosting…yummy!
AndiWinslow — October 24, 2011 @ 1:06 pm Reply

Beautiful cake and icing so thick love it andi
ButterYum — October 24, 2011 @ 12:40 pm Reply

Fabulous Lizzy – love that head foam frosting.
🙂
ButterYum
Nava.K — October 24, 2011 @ 12:32 pm Reply

Guinness Lizzy inside? anything that makes me float and high is my fav, I like that thick frosting on top.
Must make this for my friends who love to boost on Guinness, they will jump up and about.
yummychunklet — October 24, 2011 @ 3:31 pm Reply

Yum! Great looking cake!
Medeja — October 24, 2011 @ 11:21 am Reply

Yummy! I am dreaming about that cake for a long time.. you are tempting me to try making it 🙂
sportsglutton — October 24, 2011 @ 3:12 pm Reply

I love Nigella…she makes food so sensual. 😉 I can’t just picture her facial expressions when making this cake. Yours looks perfect.
Mary — October 24, 2011 @ 11:07 am Reply

fantastic ..i wouldn’t mind diggin’ in my fork into that lovely cake.
kita — October 24, 2011 @ 1:40 pm Reply

I should have known this was you when I spotted it in the link up. Wonderful job as always and mmmmm Guiness cake. I can taste it. Is it wrong that I want a slice of this for breakfast?
Melanie — October 24, 2011 @ 1:09 pm Reply

The cake’s texture looks great, very rich! I like cream cheese frosting, so I’m sure I’d eat lots of those slices 🙂