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.

Chocolate Stout Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting- on a black long plate with a fork

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When To Enjoy
Ingredients
Pan Size Advice
I have a Pyrex 9x13-inch pan, do I bake the cake at the same temperature?
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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 the book "Irish Cooking" - which has wonderful, easy American-Irish recipes for the average cook.

There are breakfast dishes, homemade breads, desserts, and hearty soups, all classic recipes that will take you on a delicious journey.

Chocolate Stout Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting- 2 slices of cake on a long black plate with fork and a glass of stout beer in the background

Anyway, returning to our delicious cake, the recipe calls for only a cup of stout and not 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.

When To Enjoy

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.

Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting- one slice of cake o a dark plate -close up

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 it was one of the best breads I baked so far, and it went well with every food he had over the weekend.

Ingredients

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; 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 are 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 Extract: 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 must also be at room temperature, as we will need to mix it with the cream cheese.

Powdered sugar: Use powdered 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.

Milk: You will need only about a tablespoon, just in case you want to make the frosting a little bit thinner.

Pan Size Advice

I don't have a 9x13-inch 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 9x13-inch 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!