Chocolate Guinness Cake

by Nigella. Featured in FEAST

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.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Buy Now

Chocolate Guinness Cake — Photo by James Merrell

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Buy Now

Ingredients

Yields: about 12 slices

Metric Cups

For the Cake

250 millilitres guinness
250 grams unsalted butter
75 grams cocoa powder
400 grams caster sugar
150 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
2 teaspoons cornflour
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
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)

Method

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/160°C Fan/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 cornflour and then beat to combine.
If using double cream, add it and beat until you have a spreadable consistency. If using whipping cream, whisk first to soft peaks, add a couple of spoonfuls into the cream cheese mixture and once this is combined, fold in the rest.
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/160°C Fan/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 cornstarch and then beat to combine.
If using heavy cream, add it and beat until you have a spreadable consistency. If using whipping cream, whisk first to soft peaks, add a couple of spoonfuls into the cream cheese mixture and once this is combined, fold in the rest.
Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Additional Information

MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The cake can be stored, without icing, in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 5 days. Store the iced cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The un-iced cake can be frozen, wrapped in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil, for up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours.

Tell us what you think

What 142 Others have said

Outstanding! This cake will be made again and again. Why haven’t I made it before.

Posted by Mezmoo74 on 31st March 2022
I add a teaspoon of ground Sichuan pepper to this recipe just as I did to the Guinness gingerbread. It combines well with the taste of the stout.

Posted by 2pennybit on 20th March 2022
Love this! Even better if you make into cupcakes instead! Thank you for the recipe! Will make again and again.

Posted by mbsaas on 17th March 2022
The best chocolate cake ever. also works well in muffin cases and made it for a friend for her birthday with raspberries on top of the beautiful cream cheese frosting. I also managed to get some gluten free stout etc.and made it for a friend who had just been diagnosed with coeliac disease. It had always been her favourite cake. She declared it delicious

Posted by BerylD on 17th March 2022
I've made this batter for the 2nd year now but used muffin cases and baked for 25mins. The hope is that when they're unwrapped theyll look like mini pints of Guinness. Hopefully the birthday boy will be happy with this change up! It also means I can leave a couple un-iced for the kids as they can be a bit more picky.

Posted by ApplesKAC on 2nd March 2022
This is by far, THE best Guinness cake recipe I have ever tried. I don't use any other recipes. My only comment would be that I add more cocoa powder, but that's personal preference. I have shared it with my nearest and dearest, as I think it's the nicest cake I've ever tasted.

Posted by Hemhamp on 12th December 2021
I made these into muffins with 4 tablespoons of cake mix going into a muffin case and baking for 30mins.

Posted by Sazcakes77 on 1st May 2021
So I mage this with buckwheat flour OGM!!! Its fabulous!!!! I mean seriously wonderful. Just a straight exchange buckwheat flour for plain flour.

Posted by MrsMess on 3rd April 2021
This is such a great recipe! We made it into cupcakes and they were the perfect way to end our St. Patrick's Day! My two little ones (and husband) only complained when I stopped them after 2 each!

Posted by swackman216 on 18th March 2021
I added a tablespoon of instant expresso to the cake mix, and a couple of teaspoons to the frosting, because I liked your idea of Guinness' creamy head, but I thought the head should have a bit of a tan!

Posted by agarryking on 17th March 2021
Made for Mother’s Day tomorrow with my daughter: absolutely gorgeous! We know this because Mummy came back early and insisted on trying it!

Posted by Satriani1 on 13th March 2021
Used a 20cm Bundt cake for a Guinness Chocolate Cake and it worked a treat - put the icing in a plastic cup in the middle of the cake. This has two pluses: keeping the icing fresh in warm weather (put cup in the fridge) and enabling those not keen on the icing to give it a miss. The cake is a family favourite and a first choice birthday cake for everyone! Key to bundt success is a Gordon Ramsey tip: brush all surfaces on the inside of the tin with vertical strokes of melted butter. Put in fridge for a while. Repeat the process, then put in cocoa powder and shake it about to cover throughout. Shake out the excess cocoa - messy process but essential. I put the tin back in the fridge until cake was baked.

I baked for 45 minutes; allowed to cool on a wire rack as per the 'normal' instructions; checked the top edges to ensure there were no sticking points and the cake dropped out beautifully. Grandchildren verdict: "Delicious".

Posted by Kingsmead on 27th January 2021