I made this Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. However, the cake is perfect for any occasion.
The beer makes the cake incredibly moist and soft. It is a cake that keeps really well for a few days. The cream cheese frosting is an excellent addition to it.
This is a delicious cake. I mean, chocolate cake is GOOD no matter what, but this version made with Guinness stout beer is really, really GOOD!
The recipe is inspired and adapted by this book "Irish Cooking" - which has wonderful, easy American-Irish recipes for the average cook.
There are breakfast dishes and homemade breads, desserts, and hearty soups, all classic recipes that will take you on a delicious journey.
As you already know, when it comes to baking, I have a problem with the amount of sugar dumped in American recipes.
I'm not too fond of overly sweet cakes, and when I bake, I tend to cut some of the sugar from buttercreams and frostings.
I mean, really, for a cup of butter, why do you need four cups of powder sugar to make frosting?
Are we trying to glue the wallpaper with it or make a delightful dessert that will not throw us into a diabetic coma? I vote for the second option.
Anyway, getting back to our delicious cake, the recipe calls for only a cup of stout and not for an entire bottle(nice, huh?).
As Julia Child once said: "I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food..."
I think that we will do the same with the beer. One cup for the recipe, the rest for us, or maybe you want to keep your husband around. He can help with the dishes while you pour the rest of the bottle into a glass for him. Whatever works.
I made the recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. However, the cake is perfect for any occasion. Make it for a potluck, a birthday party, or anything in between.
The cake is rich and light, smooth and bold. The beer makes the cake incredibly moist and soft.
It is the kind of cake that keeps really well for a few days, ready for you to slice a bit off whenever you need an energy boost.
If you are not Irish, but you still want to celebrate, bake this cake or make bread, like this excellent American Irish Soda bread that my husband loved.
He said that it is one of the best breads I baked so far, and it went well with every food he had over the weekend.
What kind of ingredients go into this recipe:
For the cake:
All-purpose flour
We do not need any special flour for this recipe. All-purpose flour works perfectly in most baked goods, and this recipe is no exception.
Unsweetened cocoa powder
You need cocoa powder for baking, not the one you would use to make chocolate milk. That one has sugar and other ingredients that we do not need. Here is an affiliate link for unsweetened cocoa powder to give you an idea of what you need to look for.
Salt and baking soda
Salt enhances the taste of the cake, while baking soda helps the cake rise in the oven. Both extremely important.
Brown sugar
Brown sugar comes in light or dark form. I would use light sugar for this recipe unless you really want a deep molasses flavor from the dark brown sugar.
Granulated sugar
The total amount of sugar in this recipe is a combination of brown sugar and regular granulated sugar.
Unsalted butter
Unsalted butter should be at room temperature.
Vanilla
Use the best vanilla extract you can afford.
Eggs
Most recipes are developed, with large eggs being the standard. This will yield results closest to that of the recipe developer's intention.
Stout Beer
There are multiple options out there for a good stout beer. I used Guinness because this is what I had available, but I made this cake in the past with Irish stout, Chocolate stout, and other beers. A stout has a malty flavor that brings a lot of flavor to this cake. Choose what you love.
For the cream cheese frosting:
Cream cheese
When making frosting, always bring the cream cheese to room temperature to avoid lumps.
Unsalted butter
The butter also needs to be at room temperature, as we will need to mix it with the cream cheese.
Powder sugar
Use powder sugar, not granulated sugar, as you need the frosting to be smooth. Granulated sugar doesn't melt properly in the cream cheese and butter.
Vanilla
As I said before, use the best vanilla extract you can afford. Usually, imitation vanillas don't taste great in desserts.
Some milk
You will need only about a tablespoon, just in case you want to make the frosting a little bit thinner.
I don't have a 9x13inch pan, can I use some other size pan? Is the cake going to bake the same?
I recently got this question and had to do some research before answering. I found this awesome article that will make your life easier.
If you use smaller baking pans, you will need to adjust the time the cake needs to bake. If, for example, you use two round baking pans and they are 9 inches, you will have to bake the cakes a little less, approximately 20-25 minutes.
The smaller the pans, the less time in the oven.
I have a Pyrex 9x13inch pan, do I bake the cake at the same temperature?
I am glad you asked. Glass pans absorb more heat than metal, so you need to lower the oven temperature by 25 Fahrenheit when baking. Also, glass pans take longer to cool once you take them out of the oven, so be careful not to overbake items.
And now, let me give you the recipe for the cake. You will thank me later! Enjoy!
More recipes to love:
Triple Chocolate Stout Brownies With Nuts
Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Almond Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Pineapple Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, soft or 1 ½ sticks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup beer stout room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened ½ stick
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
- Separately, in a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer, on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add flour mixture and stout, alternating them, beating until blended after each addition.
- Pour batter evenly into the baking pan.
- Bake about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in pan before frosting.
- How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese with butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer(medium speed).
- Gradually add the powder sugar and vanilla and continue beating until smooth.
- If too thick, add the milk and beat until incorporated.
- Spread over the cake and decorate as you like.
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