Adapted from my favorite chocolate cake recipe, this rich Guinness chocolate cake is made with reduced dark stout beer for deep flavor. Topped with ultra creamy chocolate Guinness cream cheese frosting, this cake might just become a new St. Patrick’s Day dessert tradition.
I’m not making this up: while I was photographing today’s cake, a rainbow actually appeared in my yard—not in the sky, in front of the trees in my actual YARD. I knew it was good luck; this cake was DELICIOUS.
And fortunately, you don’t need to find the end of the rainbow to make this chocolate Guinness cake. You just need 2 Guinness stout beers, and some basic baking ingredients.
Why Bake With Guinness?
You don’t have to like beer to love this cake. Dark, smooth, and creamy, with roast coffee and caramel undertones, Guinness stout is often used in baking and almost always paired with chocolate. The two work well together because Guinness, like coffee, intensifies chocolate’s natural flavor. Desserts like Guinness cupcakes and Guinness brownies don’t taste like beer, just a more complex chocolate with a malty background.
We’re also incorporating the Guinness flavor in the chocolate cream cheese frosting, which is sweet and silky and complements the dark, fudgy chocolate cake perfectly.
So, to review:
Why You’ll Love It
- Chocolate cake is rich, moist, and fudgy, with a hint of Guinness flavor
- Malty undertones with notes of caramel and coffee
- Extra creamy, silky chocolate cream cheese frosting also incorporates the reduced Guinness concentrate for another kiss of flavor
But, this is baking. And, as I often say, baking is a science. You can’t just pour a couple of beers into cake batter. So how can we pack real Guinness flavor into chocolate cake and frosting, without turning everything into soup? The trick is to reduce the beer on the stove first, to concentrate the flavor into a small amount of liquid.
Best Way to Make Guinness Chocolate Cake: Reduce the Beer
The heat evaporates the liquid (and cooks off the alcohol), but leaves the flavor. We also do this with champagne in my mimosa cupcakes and champagne frosting. And with strawberries in my strawberry cake, too.
This step is really easy. Pour 2 bottles of Guinness stout into a large saucepan. Let it come up to just boiling—keep a close eye on it, because it will foam up a lot at first—then turn down the heat and leave it to simmer for about 30 minutes, until it’s reduced to just about 3/4 cup (180ml). You’ll be left with less liquid, but more flavor.
Will your kitchen smell like a brewery? Yes. Will the smell of baking chocolate cake quickly overpower it? Also yes.
- Success tip: Use a larger saucepan/pot than you think you need, with high sides. When the beer starts boiling, it will get very foamy and threaten to boil over. Reduce the heat to low; then, as the foam settles back down, slowly increase heat to medium.
Once the Guinness is simmering away, start mixing together the rest of the cake ingredients.
Other Ingredients in Guinness Chocolate Cake
Let’s quickly review the other ingredients you’ll be mixing with the reduced Guinness, and why each is crucial to your results:
- All-Purpose Flour: The structural base of this recipe. Cake flour is great for vanilla cake; but when combined with ultra-light cocoa powder, it’s too fine for this cake. Stick to all-purpose here.
- Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder: Do not use dutch-process cocoa powder. If you’re interested, see dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for an in-depth explanation.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens this cake.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: This is a fairly dense cake, but these 2 leavening agents provide the lift.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder accentuates the chocolate and Guinness flavors.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Flavor and more flavor!
- Vegetable Oil: Cocoa powder is a particularly drying ingredient, so oil is needed to ensure the cake is moist.
- Eggs: Eggs add structure and bind the ingredients together.
- Sour Cream + Buttermilk: While you could use just one or the other, you’ll have the best success with a combination of both, which makes for a moist and soft yet sturdy crumb.
Whisk together the dry ingredients, whisk together the wet ingredients, then pour the wet mixture into dry and whisk to combine. The last step for the cake batter is to add in the hot reduced Guinness. We’ll use 1/2 cup (120ml) of hot reduced Guinness in the cake batter, and set aside the remaining to cool completely for the frosting.
Why use hot liquid? Hot liquid helps the cocoa powder “bloom,” drawing out its rich flavor. We use hot coffee in this chocolate cake and these cream-filled cupcakes, but today we’re using reduced Guinness instead.
Chocolate Guinness Cream Cheese Frosting
I started with this recipe for smooth and silky chocolate cream cheese frosting, and simply swapped cooled Guinness concentrate for the heavy cream. That’s it—my team and I didn’t test anything further because this Guinness-hinted frosting was creamy, tangy, chocolatey, and PERFECT.
I also decorate the cake with gold shimmer sprinkles, the same I use on these St. Patrick’s Day cookies. Totally optional.
Draught vs. Extra Stout—Which Type of Guinness to Use
Guinness Draught is richer and creamier, because it’s carbonated with nitrogen. It has an ABV of 4.2%. Extra Stout is a little sharper and crisper, because it’s carbonated with carbon dioxide like most beers. ABV is a bit higher, at 5.6%. Either one works in this recipe.
Guinness Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 27 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes chilling)
- Yield: serves 12-16
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The BEST way to impart real Guinness flavor into chocolate cake is to reduce it down on the stove first. This packs in flavor without altering the cake’s texture. You can also prepare this chocolate layer cake as a sheet cake. See recipe Note.
Ingredients
Cake
- two 11.2–12-ounce (330–355ml) bottles of Guinness beer
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (62g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted coconut oil)
- 3/4 cup (180g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk*, at room temperature
Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) reduced Guinness, from step 1
- pinch salt
- optional: gold sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Reduce the Guinness: In a large saucepan, bring the Guinness to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low heat and allow to simmer until reduced down to about 3/4 cup, about 30 minutes. Begin making the cake batter once the Guinness is simmering. You’ll use 1/2 cup of the hot reduced Guinness in the cake batter, and set aside the rest to cool for the frosting. You can do this step 1 day ahead of time if needed—see Note.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: While the Guinness is simmering, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla together on medium-high speed until combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, give it a quick mix/whisk, then add 1/2 cup (120ml) of hot reduced Guinness. Mix or whisk on low speed until the batter is completely combined. Batter is thin. If it helps, you should have about 6 cups or 1250g of cake batter total.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 25–28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note: Even if they’re completely done, the cooled cakes may slightly sink in the center. Cocoa powder is simply not as structurally strong as all-purpose flour and can’t hold up to all the moisture necessary to make a moist chocolate cake. It’s normal!)
- Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pans.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons (45ml) cooled reduced Guinness, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Do not over-whip. Add a couple more Tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin, or 1 more Tablespoon of cooled reduced Guinness if frosting is too thick. Taste. Add another pinch of salt if desired.
- Assemble and frost: If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called “leveling” the cakes. Discard or crumble over finished cake. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Using a large icing spatula or small offset spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1 cup (about 250g) of frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. A bench scraper is helpful for smoothing out the sides. I usually go lighter on the sides of the cake, to have leftover frosting for piping around the top. (Piping is optional.) If desired, garnish top of cake with sprinkles.
- Refrigerate uncovered cake for at least 30–60 minutes before slicing to help set the shape. After that, you can serve the cake or continue refrigerating for up to 4–6 hours before serving. Cake can be served at room temperature or chilled.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days. I like using a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can reduce the Guinness a day ahead of time. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate. Bring reduced beer to room temperature before using in the frosting, and heat 1/2 cup in the microwave or on the stove until hot to use in the cake batter. To make the cake ahead of time: Prepare cake through step 6. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature then continue with step 7. You can prepare the frosting 2–3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before spreading onto/assembling the cake. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or serve cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cake Turntable | Large Icing Spatula or Small Offset Spatula| Bench Scraper | Gold Shimmer Sprinkles | Cake Carrier (for storing)
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder in the cake batter, not dutch-process. (See dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.) Because there is no leavening occurring in frosting, you can use either natural or dutch-process in the frosting.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough room-temperature whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup (120ml). (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Amount of Cake Batter: This recipe (and the sour cream version) yields about 6 cups of batter, which is helpful if you need it for different Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Why hot liquid? You want the reduced Guinness to be hot when you add it to the rest of the cake batter, to help the cocoa powder “bloom.” This makes for the best chocolate flavor.
- 9×13-inch Pan: You can bake this cake as a sheet cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan. Same oven temperature, about 35–40 minutes bake time.
- Guinness Cupcakes: Here is my recipe for chocolate Guinness cupcakes with mocha Guinness buttercream.
Would this recipe work as a Bundt cake?
Hi Christina, We have not tested this cake as a Bundt cake but it would probably work. Let us know if you give it a try!
This is one amazing cake!!! Thank you SO much!
This is a phenomenal recipe! For those wondering, the taste of the Guinness and the espresso is very subtle — just background notes — but the depth of flavor that’s created is absolutely next level. I also love the way the recipe is constructed. There’s no butter but there’s more than enough fat with the inclusion of sour cream and oil, and the loss of leavening is made up for by a boost in baking soda which is properly activated by the acid in the natural cocoa and the buttermilk. It’s all very thoughtfully designed — well done, Sally!
A note on the cream cheese frosting: Sometimes in the summer I find balancing the temperature of my ingredients and the temperature of my kitchen tricky. The end goal for emulsifying anything with butter is 67-68 degrees. But since my kitchen was a warm 73 I decided to start with 63 degree butter and cream cheese. But, it didn’t come up like I thought it would so I had flecks of undissolved cream cheese remaining. Rather than over-work the frosting I just left them. For those of you working in similar temperatures I’d recommend starting at 65, which is what I’ll do the next time.
Question for Sally: I’d like to try this as a 6″ triple layer cake. Do you think this batter would hold up or would I need supports? 6″ rounds are pretty light but I wanted to ask before I did it and it sank. LOL
Hi Jae, we’re so glad you loved this cake! It should hold up well as a 3 layer 6 inch cake without cake dowels, but of course, feel free to use them if you’d like a little extra assurance.
I’ve made this cake before and love it. But my daughter wants me to make it this time with a vanilla buttercream for her birthday. What recipe would you recommend?
Hi Eva, here is our favorite vanilla buttercream. See recipe Notes there about scaling for a cake of this size!
Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder
Hi Sue, yes, you can use the same amount of instant coffee powder in place of the espresso powder.
Thank you just wasn’t sure cuz I know espresso’s stronger
Can I turn this into a 3 layer cake if I 1.5x the recipe? Wondering if the cake will be able to support 3 layers without going wobbly? Thanks.
Hi Sophie, many readers have done that successfully with our chocolate cake, from which this recipe is adapted, so that should work well. You could always use cake dowels for a bit of added support. Or, you could make the recipe as written and divide the batter evenly among three pans for shorter layers. Bake time will be a bit shorter. Enjoy!
Wondering if I can reduce the beer more than 1 day in advance. Can I reduce to bake the cakes on Saturday and then use the reduced beer on Tuesday to make the icing?
Hi Jessica! You can reduce the beer a few days in advance, yes. See recipe notes for details on making the cake layers ahead of time.
Serious error in the directions: Do NOT simmer the beer for 30 minutes on medium. That does not produce a reduced beer, it produces a sticky tar burned to the bottom of the pan. After bringing the beer to a boil, reduce to LOW heat and simmer for 15 minutes at most.
Thanks for the feedback! I find it takes close to 30 minutes to reduce that much liquid down to 3/4 cup.
My husband and I both agree this is the best chocolate cake we’ve ever had. I made the recipe exactly as written and was not disappointed. I’ve had Guinness beer before, but my husband hadn’t and I was expecting to taste the Guinness. I was pleasantly surprised that I could not taste the Guinness, but a very complex chocolate flavor that I can’t remember having before. This is definitely my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on. If it weren’t for the special ingredient, I think it should be called The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe.
I’ve made it three times and it always comes out delish!
I always leave the butter and cream cheese out for hours before preparing the frosting and the frosting always comes out chunky, tiny small clumps. I think it’s the butter and maybe the cocoa powder. Any suggestions?
Hi Anita! We’re so glad this is a favorite for you. For next time, sifting the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder should help get rid of some of those clumps for you. Continue to beat the frosting until no lumps remain.
Looking to make this cake, just wondered if one could replace the Espresso powder with actual espresso and reduce it down with the Guinness?
Thanks!
I love this cake. It may be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had, in fact. I made it for St Patrick’s Day 2023 and everyone loved it. My brother took some home to his wife and she refused to believe it was home made.
I’m wondering if there is a buttercream option that isn’t coffee/mocha flavored.
Hi Sal, you could replace the Guinness with heavy cream instead for a chocolate buttercream.
Such a simple and satisfying cake, even in its most basic form! I made only a single layer and without any frosting – it was the cake that my husband and I wiped off the fastest of the desserts I have made over the last couple of years! Also the most moist of my cakes, without being soggy.
The ratios are perfect – my cake was done in 25 mins; next time I may add a bit more Guinness (the flavour was more noticeable on day 2). I used only sour cream to simplify, and added a few raisins and walnuts while baking. Thank you!
This will be my new go to chocolate cake. Totally worth the extra 30’ to cook the beer. It was so light & moist, the frosting was nice too, not too sweet at all and complimented the cake well. Couldn’t tell it was made with beet, perfect chocolate birthday cake.
So glad you loved this cake recipe, Danielle!
Fabulous! What an improvement over the other Guinness Chocolate Cakes I’ve tried. It was a big hit and will stay in the frequent rotation. I didn’t frost the sides, just between the layers and the top so we could see how chocolatey and beautiful it is. Thank you for explaining everything so clearly.
Make this cake last Sunday for our 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner. I don’t usually make layer cakes, but I did this once. One of my layers baked just fine. One needed a few more minutes in the oven. Probably different amounts of batter in each tin. I didn’t initially beat the butter and cream cheese long enough for the frosting, and probably should have beat the complete mix longer than I did to get it really fluffy. There’s only three of us, and I’m really trying to watch how many sweets I eat, but the family loved it. I’ve had it covered up in the fridge, and it still tastes good and fresh, even at the 5th day!
The cake itself is fantastic, perfectly balanced and the addition of the reduced Guinness is awesome! The frosting however just didn’t work and not to mention there wasn’t enough to fully frost and fill the 9in cake, not even close 🙁 I added 6ozs of melted Callebaut dark chocolate, two more cups of powdered sugar, another 1/2 stick of soft butter and 2tbspns heavy cream and whipped it into oblivion! I owned a small cafe and have tons of baking a cooking experience so I was able to modify in the moment. For those who don’t have a ton of experience or are new to baking, the frosting recipe is misleading. I would suggested doubling it and heat up the Guinness until it is warm and then add it, for some reason it would not incorporate properly without some warmth. Def a delicious cake!! Would def recommend it keeping in mind the frosting modifications 🙂
I didn’t taste any Guinness (and I’m sure I reduced it correctly) but that’s fine because this is without a doubt the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Better than any bakery or restaurant cake and I didn’t even break out the mixer for the cake batter, just used a whisk! I will definitely be making this again.
This was the best chocolate cake I ever made I made it for my girlfriends birthday last week.Every one just raved about it In fact I got reguests
I made this cake for my husband’s St Patrick’s Day birthday and it was delicious! The first time I tried to reduce the Guinness I forgot about it and boiled it til only a tablespoon was left. Near tragedy! Second time I was more careful. Both layers sunk in the middle but tested done, so I trusted my toothpicks and pulled them out. Hubby offered it to his men’s group and they declined until he told them there was beer in it. They loved it!
So happy to hear that this cake is a hit, Lisa!
This recipe seemed complicated but was super easy! The cake was delicious and we found it tasted better the next day. Want to make again soon!
This was the first layer cake I’ve made so far on my baking journey and it turned out great! The cake was super moist and the chocolate had a depth to it that made boiling all that beer feel worth it. I’ll probably never make the chocolate cream cheese frosting again and use regular buttercream instead, but that’s just a personal preference. Thank you so much for your great recipes and clear directions! My friends always tell me what a great baker I am but I really just pick one of your recipes and follow the steps.
Your recipes never disappoint! I took this to a St. Patrick’s Day dinner party, and everyone raved. I had a little Guinness left after reducing, so used that to make a dark chocolate ganache. Served cake with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream with this sauce on top, and all were happy!
This was the best cake I’ve ever made. It was easy to follow and absolutely delicious!
This cake was absolutely delicious. I brought it to a St. Patrick’s Day dinner party, and everyone raved about it. I even cooked it in a Bundt pan (baked it for 35 minutes), and it turned out great!
This was a delicious chocolate cake, but I’m not sure the Guinness really came through. Would definitely make again without the whole Guinness boiling ordeal. Would Definitely 1.5 the frosting recipe if you like a generously frosted cake!
I made this cake last night for my family dinner and everyone loved it. Great recipe and easy to follow.
I have a question. I live at 8000 feet. How do I alter this recipe to keep it from falling? I am anxious to try it today but don’t want it to fall.
Hi Darlene, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Thanks for this yummy sounding recipe. Do I need to chill the cake if I’m making it in a sheet pan?
Hi Ginna, it’s not as crucial since you’re not slicing into a layered cake, but the cake slices will definitely still be a bit neater if you do the quick chill. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I am currently making the frosting and wondering if it’s going to be enough for the cake. Shoudl it be doubled? TY
Hi Kath, the frosting recipe as written is plenty for layering between the cakes, covering the outside, and little bit of basic piping on top (as seen in the photos). Feel free to 1.5x it if you’d like a bit more.