Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream
A rich, deeply chocolatey Guinness chocolate cake topped with silky Irish buttercream. Made with real stout and sour cream for the most moist crumb you've ever tasted.
Equipment
- Two 9-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Medium saucepan
- Large mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Wire cooling rack
- Offset spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup Guinness stout room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, for frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted, for frosting
- 3 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur for frosting
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for frosting
- 1 pinch salt for frosting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup Guinness stout and 1 cup butter. Stir until butter is fully melted.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth and glossy. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with sour cream and vanilla extract until combined.
- Pour the cooled Guinness mixture into the egg mixture and stir until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients gradually, folding gently until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- For the frosting: Beat softened butter on medium speed for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low after each addition.
- Pour in Irish cream liqueur, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes until silky smooth.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread buttercream on top, add second layer, and frost top and sides evenly.
Notes
- Let Guinness go flat for 30 minutes before using to prevent overflow.
- Use room temperature eggs and sour cream to prevent lumps in the batter.
- For a non-alcoholic version, use Guinness 0.0 and replace Irish cream liqueur with milk plus 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
- Unfrosted layers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil.
- The cake tastes even better the next day as flavors deepen overnight.