Chocolate Guinness Cake

by Nigella. Featured in FEAST

Print me

Introduction

This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can't say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love. The best way of describing it is to say that it's like gingerbread without the spices.

There is enough sugar - a certain understatement here - to counter any potential bitterness of the Guinness, and although I've eaten versions of this made up like a chocolate sandwich cake, stuffed and slathered in a rich chocolate icing, I think that can take away from its dark majesty. Besides, I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting to echo the pale head that sits on top of a glass of stout. It's unconventional to add cream but it makes it frothier and lighter which I regard as aesthetically and gastronomically desirable. But it is perfectly acceptable to leave the cake un-iced: in fact, it tastes gorgeous plain.

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Chocolate Guinness Cake — Photo by James Merrell

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Ingredients

Makes: about 12 slices

Metric Cups

For the Cake

250 millilitres guinness
250 grams unsalted butter
75 grams cocoa powder
400 grams caster sugar
142 millilitres sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
275 grams plain flour
2½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

For the Topping

300 grams cream cheese
150 grams icing sugar
125 millilitres double cream (or whipping cream)

For the Cake

1 cup guinness
17 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
⅔ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking soda

For the Topping

8 ounces cream cheese
1¼ cups confectioners' sugar
½ cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)

Method

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/350ºF, and butter and line a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter - in spoons or slices - and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsieved icing sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.
Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/350ºF, and butter and line a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter - in spoons or slices - and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the confectioners' sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsieved confectioners' sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.
Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Tell us what you think

What 91 Others have said

I have just made this wonderous cake in the form of 48 cupcakes and 3 normal 9 inch size for the brilliant bunch of workers at a DIY SOS big build in Blackpool. It went down a treat with everyone asking for more.

Posted by jojomuffin on 5th July 2016
I am from Macedonia and usually prefer raw cakes but this is superb! It is the only baked cake that I make. I have substituted cocoa with carob and it is even better.

Posted by kriszimb on 21st May 2016
The best chocolate cake I have ever had. My husband likes it as well as his grandmother's. That is saying something!!

Posted by ladyfromstates on 12th May 2016
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made this as my husband's birthday cake...perfect. It is rich and moist...not too sweet.

Posted by KWbaker on 5th May 2016
I've made this recipe a number of times as cupcakes - I tend to add more flour - but can never remember how much. I guess it varies each time but the result is always fabulous. How to make friends and influence people (at work... in the pub... wherever!)

Posted by BusyMiss on 16th March 2016
Made this cake for my husband's birthday, was a bit concerned about the bicarbonate of soda possibly tasting , however it was perfect. Had issues with the Cream Cheese Icing not getting thick enough consistency, so decided to firstly whip the cream and added some vanilla extract, then added the Cream Cheese and Icing Sugar, which I whipped separately, then gently folded both into each other, and it was then perfect.... Everyone went crazy for this cake, would definitely make again for a crowd...

Posted by Lotiloo on 5th February 2016
I made a couple of these this weekend for my daughters 18th birthday party. I have made them for parties before & they go down well. I do, though, find the cream cheese topping can be a bit "claggy" for want of a better description! So, this time I made a creme au buerre meringue frosting which is lovely & light but very yummy. It is not the quickest frosting to make but definitely the yummiest. I did one chocolate frosting and then combined your cream cheese topping with creme au buerre meringue for the other cake. I used some of the sugar from your recipe with one egg white for the cooked meringue and then combined that with the beaten cream, cream cheese & the rest of the sugar. Oh wow! No cake left at the end of the night and I will definitely use this variation again.

Posted by on 18th January 2016
Love this cake! Made it for my friends in Sweden and they love it to. I blend caster sugar with brown or muscovado sugar.

Posted by Erodehed on 12th November 2015
I made this cake this evening and tried a bit whilst it was still warm......it's gorgeous!! Very light and not too sweet, I will make the topping tomorrow to try but it is very good on it's own. I did substitute the vanilla for almond as I dislike vanilla and this worked very well although I only used a tsp not the tablespoon as called for with the vanilla. Will definitely be making it again!

Posted by ESN on 11th October 2015
I'm not the best baker in the world, but after I made this cake I thought I was a winner from the Great British Bake Off. I wasn't so sure how it would turn out as this is a batter mix and bit runny as I poured it into the cake tin. Turned out really well. Very moist. Didn't ice it but surved it warm, with vanilla ice cream, raspberries and strawberries. I'm going to try the basic batter mixture with out the Guinness and use white chocolate and vanilla pods. Fingers crossed this will be as yummy.

Posted by mydoto on 7th August 2015
This cake is sooooo good it's my and lots of my friends favourite. I make the mixture in either 2 x loaf tins, cupcakes (makes loads) or sandwich cake. I have a lot of requests for this. Enjoy!

Posted by gingerwitch on 29th July 2015
NEVER FAILS...I would say (as a fool) completely foolproof! Delicious! Quick and easy, minimum washing up too! I have also baked in 2 8 inch/20cm tins and filled with cream cheese mix or chocolate. Thanks Nigella.

Posted by horse54 on 12th July 2015