Chocolate Guinness Cake
A rich moist cake, which is dark in colour but light in texture. Traditionally a chocolate Guinness cake should be iced with a white chocolate topping, but this one has a dark chocolate ganache with a swoosh of Guinness in it. This works well as an Easter cake, though it’s good at any other time too.
About a year ago, I tasted a chocolate cake made with Guinness. It was actually on the occasion of my much loved grandmother’s funeral, but despite that, it was delicious. Ever since, I’ve been wanting to have a go at making one myself.
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Luckily, I found a recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake in my Green & Black’s* chocolate recipe book, So I had a go at making it for Easter Tea.
My chocolate Guinness cake didn’t quite go according to plan. This was because there was too much mixture to fit into my biggest cake pan. So I made it into a sandwich cake instead. I then had to think of some sort of filling and topping to use at rather short notice and with no shops open. Oops!
Luckily I managed to make a rather splendid chocolate ganache from butter rather than cream. A glug of Guinness gave it additional depth and flavour. Next time, I shall make a smaller quantity of cake batter so I can bake it as one cake. I’m also keen to try it with a white chocolate topping so as to imitate a frothy Guinness top.
As well as adding a topping, I also changed the method, the quantities and made mine with wholemeal spelt flour. I just can’t help myself.
Everyone enjoyed our Easter tea, including the chocolate Guinness cake – phew! The recipe is definitely worth leaving here for you to try.
Other Chocolate Beer Bakes You Might Like
- Black velvet cheesecake swirl brownies with stout caramel sauce
- Chocolate ale fruitcake
- Chocolate raisin & ale cake
- Triple chocolate ale brownies
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Choclette x
Chocolate Guinness Cake. PIN IT.
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Guinness Cake
- 4 oz dark chocolate (I used 85%)
- 8 oz unsalted butter softened
- 12 oz soft brown sugar
- 4 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 6 oz wholemeal spelt flour
- 4 oz white spelt flour
- 2 oz cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 12 floz Guinness
Boozy butter Ganache
- 5 oz dark chocolate (I used 70%)
- 5 oz unsalted butter
- 1 slug Guinness
Instructions
Chocolate Guinness Cake
- Set the oven to 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4).
- Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, but not boiling water. Leave to cool a little.4 oz dark chocolate
- Cream the butter and sugar well until it's light and fluffy. You can do this by hand or with a hand-held or stand mixer. I do it by hand.8 oz unsalted butter, 12 oz soft brown sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one by one. If the mixture looks as though it's going to curdle, add a little of the flour.4 large eggs
- Beat in the melted chocolate.
- Sieve in half of the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.6 oz wholemeal spelt flour, 4 oz white spelt flour, 2 oz cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Stir in the Guinness alternately with the remainder of the sieved dry ingredients until everything is just mixed.12 floz Guinness
- Divide the mixture between two 2 x 23cm round silicone cake pans or lined tins and bake for about 50 mins. An inserted skewer should come out clean (ish).
Boozy Butter Ganache
- Whilst the cakes are cooling, melt the chocolate in the same way as before using the same bowl.5 oz dark chocolate
- Stir in the butter, then add a good glug of Guinness and stir fast. When the mixture is thick enough use half to sandwich the two cakes together and half to ice the cake. Decorate as desired. I used little gold wrapped chocolate Easter eggs.5 oz unsalted butter, 1 slug Guinness
Great recipe for the start of the footie season for the men to tuck into whilst watching the match!
I think the dark colour of the cake with a ‘frothy’ white chocolate topping is a good idea.
Sounds delicious!
Sounds good! I like Guinness too.
I made the scones, always a bit hit and miss but if you cut them deep and keep the mixture quite moist, then they appear to work, although keep an eye on them as our gas oven tends to go for burn if left unattended. I didn’t make the buns, bought those from a local baker, will give that a go next year, dough isn’t my strong point, I made a disastrous pizza base a few weeks ago and could knock someone unconscious with the naans I also tried! Heading to Sussex this weekend, will take the recipe for Guinness cake and look out for those duck eggs!
It was a good one. I use duck eggs for baking when I can get them as I’ve always been told they are especially good for cakes. I don’t actually know how much difference they really make, but the yolks are bigger than hens eggs, so maybe it just makes the cakes richer. Anyway, don’t worry if you can’t get hold of duck eggs (although any farm shop worth it’s salt should stock them) just substitute large hens eggs. Your Easter cream tea and buns sound good – did you make the scones and buns?
That sounds totally delicious – I will send the recipe to my cousin as her husband adores Guinness and chocolate, so a great combination! Would hens’ eggs do instead of duck eggs, how many would I need? Not sure where to get duck eggs! Love the Easter table, I did one too, with spring flowers from garden and a cream tea with hot cross buns, lovely to celebrate it!