Chocolate Guinness Cake
Updated February 26, 2026
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
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
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
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.
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.
Changes to the recipe: using Guinness Extra Stout instead of regular Guinness I made this cake Friday night but didn't need it until Sunday afternoon. To store it, I let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 min after taking it out of the oven. Then I wrapped the whole cake (including pan!) in 2 layers of saran wrap and let it sit out overnight. In the morning, I placed the completely cooled cake in the fridge and kept it there until I was ready to frost it. It was still great!!!
It started on Easter when a guest brought it for dessert - and I don't like chocolate, but it was a huge hit. Then I made it, more than once. Then I changed it and cut the sugar to 1.5c (plenty sweet!), and changed the cocoa to black cocoa which has less acidity and less fat - the flavor is slightly different though, more earthy, less bitter. It's a terrific recipe, and I would recommend making the original version before trying any shifts. If you have convection, bake it with that...
I made this recipe for my husband’s 30th birthday and it was outstanding. I made the cake about a week in advance and wrapped it tightly in the freezer. I took it out the morning-of and frosted it in the afternoon. I will absolutely be making in the future- the cake came out incredibly moist and had a lovely chocolate flavor. Recipe was easy to follow and it was not time consuming.