Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe (2024)

Love this cake. I do think a little Bailey's in the frosting does wonders.

It's better with 1) a half-teaspoon of kosher salt added to the dry ingredients, and 2) a better stout than Guinness - preferably a chocolate stout.

We make this cake one day in advance. It tastes better and it's a little more moist. We release the spring form after about an hour in the cooling process so the sides don't stick the next day. We prepare the frosting the day we plan to serve.
In a side by side taste test with my family of 19 tasters... this was a clear winner over the epicurious three layer Guinness cake.

Made this cake for the folks. They loved it! Didn’t notice the Guinness in the cake, but I noticed there was leftover beer in the bottle, so it was a win for the cook.

Please list ingredients by weight, not by volume.

Made cake as stated. I used about 3 oz. of goat cheese in the topping in place of cream cheese. To accompany the cake I use a jar of Morrelo cherries simmered in a bit of sugar and ruby port. Served it on a plate and put the cake on top. It was a warm syrupy mixture that set off the deep chocolate cake. It was awesome and pretty.

For those of you asking for weight. You can find it on Nigella's website
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-guinness-cake-3086

I made it in Denver (5280', folks, if you had forgotten!) and it didn't fall! Changes:
9oz stout
6.25 oz sugar: 2cups minus 2T
10.25 oz flour: added 2T to the 2cups
2 tsp baking soda (not 2.5)
Baked at 375 (actually in my convection oven, 350 which is 375 in normal ovens) for 35 mins. I should have checked at 30 mins.
Also, I food-processed the sugar and cream cheese, then added the whipping cream just until I liked the texture.
Quite yummy

This was superb and so easy to make! Not too sweet (I used ordinary sugar, not superfine, and didn't adjust quantity). Came out perfectly. Icing was easy too, and frosted beautifully. My husband loved the deep flavor of chocolate with a hint of bitterness. Looked gorgeous as well! Did I mention how easy it was to make? :)

I made this recipe into cupcakes, adjusting the cooking time downwards and just using a cake tester to figure out when they were done. I also used the food processor to make superfine sugar out of white granulated sugar with no problems. The cupcakes were a hit!

I make this with the above-noted changes (salt, a better stout) in a Bundt pan, rather than a springform, and don't frost it at all. Dusting with a mix of confectioner's sugar and cocoa is all it needs, not a thick gloppy frosting.

And a few more notes on making and baking the cake:
I let the butter-Guinness-sugars-cocoa mixture cool to room temp before adding to batter.
After filling the pan, I rapped it on the counter a few times to shake out any air pockets.
I used an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness: 200 degrees F in center (don't start testing too early and deflate the cake).

My go-to chocolate cake, always wins raves. It's what I think a chocolate cake should be: intensely chocolate-y, not overly sweet, and fairly dense. Occasionally I save other chocolate cake recipes but then I think, "Why bother?"

I have made this over and over since it was first published and think it is the best in the world! Last one I used a cherry ale instead of Guinness. Also tossed in a coupla handfuls of frozen Bing cherries and added more chopped cherries to the frosting and a bit more powdered sugar to thicken. The cake was grand and gone in one day. I am going to keep experimenting with the recipe as my go-to base for chocolate cake.

I have made this several times and it seems to rise and then deflate when completed baking. It still tastes great and I turn it over so no one can see. Why does this happen? I am using a dark springform pan lined as directed; I have tried reducing the baking temperature and baking at directed temperature on another try. Research on-line states the batter was either over mixed or under mixed (not so helpful!) I used a whisk as directed. I would appreciate any thoughts. Electric oven

What caused the cake to collapse in the middle?

I like to put spinach at the end to give it a brightness and a little extra nutrition.

I’ve made this before with success but this time decided it would be fine to use a smaller cake pan. After a catastrophic spillover in the oven and abandoned bake I still had a mostly liquid cake so I opted to spoon the batter into a mini waffle iron and make waffle whoopie pies! Talk about lemons into lemonade. I used Kerrygold butter in the frosting instead of cream cheese, plus a splash of vanilla extract and extra Guinness

Has anyone made this recipe with non-alcoholic Guinness (I am sober). I may just have to try this!

The original 8 extra tablespoons of butter are not needed?

Can anyone advise on how to make this egg-free? I want all the dairy, but have a daughter with an egg alergy. Has anyone tried this with an egg replacer like flaxseed? I know how to make the classic chocolate dump cake with vinegar and baking soda for leavening, but I wonder how the sour cream factors in. Thanks!

Oh I love Nigella, and am dumbfounded that she does not use salt in many of her baked goods recipes! For me that is almost a sin. No sweet without the salt, is my motto!

I've made this cake many times and it's always a crowd pleaser. Don't have Guinness? Another stout or porter will work.

I find an angelfood cake pan works the best. The cake looks beautiful with just powdered sugar dusted on top. I have announced how good this cake is to all I meet (well, not Everyone!) And my students love it too. Thank you, Nigella.

Has anyone made this with the 18 tablespoons of butter mentioned in the tip? Comparisons? I believe I have used Nigella’s website before to make this cake and am wondering how it comes out with about half the butter, as in this recipe.

This is a delicious and easy recipe. The cake is moist and somewhat sponge-cake-like but richer. The frosting is creamy and a perfect accompaniment. It’s a one-pan, springform baked , which makes it so easy to get out of the pan. The flavor is licorice-y and slightly bittersweet but frosting is creamy, a perfect enhancement. The cake is heavy and dense but perfect in texture, weight. Highly recommend, and I stopped trusting Pinterest or Tik Tok recipes after too many fails.

Is this made with dutch processed cocoa or natural cocoa?

6th year ~ my husband's choice for his birthday cake. Guinness being his favorite beer (warm of course).

Any hints for making this dairy free? Vegan yogurt swap for sour cream?