Chocolate Guinness Cake

By Nigella Lawson

Updated February 26, 2026

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
5(14,252)
Comments
Read comments

For me, a chocolate cake is the basic unit of celebration. The chocolate Guinness cake here is simple but deeply pleasurable, and has earned its place as a stand-alone treat.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; A Feast for a Holiday, Or Everyday Exulting

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Ingredients

Yield:One 9-inch cake or 12 servings

FOR THE CAKE

  • Butter, for the pan

  • 1 cup Guinness stout

  • 10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter (see Tip)

  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

  • 2 cups superfine sugar

  • ¾ cup sour cream

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar

  • 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

  • ½ cup heavy cream

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

66 grams carbs; 100 milligrams cholesterol; 512 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 26 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 345 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 46 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

  2. Step 2

    In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

  3. Step 3

    For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

  4. Step 4

    Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.

Tip

  • The recipe for this cake in Nigella Lawson's cookbook "Feast: Food to Celebrate Life" (Hyperion, 2004) calls for 18 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter. This adapted recipe has less butter, but still tastes rich.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
14,252 user ratings
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Comments

Dan from Seattle

I bought a 6-pack of Guinness and used one cup for the cake. Drank the rest while I proceeded, because I don't like to waste anything. I don't recall anything after that.

JM

By volume, a 9" springform pan is 10 cups. You can use 2 "standard" 8" or 9" pans instead. Or make 18-24 cup cakes.

I used a 9" square pan and made 6 cupcakes as well (the 9" square has a volume of about 8 cups). I baked the cupcakes for about 25 minutes and the cake for 45.

Patrick

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.

Deb Bahlman

Is it really necessary to use parchment paper on the bottom? I find just greasing the springform pan really well does the trick.

Heather

For me, this is the perfect cake. I have served it at a few birthday parties and the crowd goes wild. To stretch it at a party, I make it in a 13 x 9 pan, but because of the greater surface area on top, the cake to frosting ratio is better if you make 1.5 frosting to one cake. One party I made it one to one, and the frosting was just a little too thin.

RSK

I am an 11 year old, and am thinking about making this cake because I love how moist it seems (and looks DELICIOUS), but I don’t want alcohol/beer in it (of course), so what would be a good sub to make it just as good and moist? Suggestions?

Julie G

Used salted butter to add some salt; added 1/8 cup espresso and decreased guinness accordingly. Baked in bundt pan for 35 mins. It was fantastic.

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