This completely tender chocolate cake will get its deep taste because of Irish stout. End this chocolate Guinness cake with a wealthy chocolate ganache or your favourite chocolate frosting for an ideal dessert for any chocolate lover.
I first made this chocolate guinness cake years and years in the past for my youthful brother, Jared.
Despite the fact that I’m not a giant fan of alcohol, I typically discover myself shopping for numerous libations that pique my curiosity to be used in recipes. A kind of random purchases someplace alongside the road included a pair bottles of stout beer that I simply knew would lend itself fairly nicely to a chocolatey cake.
And so, because of a little bit of impulse procuring and my little brother, this chocolate Guinness cake was born.
What’s Chocolate Guinness Cake?
Chocolate Guinness cake is strictly what it appears like: a young chocolate cake with a complete bottle of Guinness stout in it.
Now, when you’re not a giant fan of beer, don’t freak out. The flavour of the isn’t very pronounced; as a substitute, the stout helps give the chocolate a deeper taste.
It’s not not like how we use somewhat little bit of espresso in the very best chocolate cake for a richer chocolate taste. (In actual fact, this recipe has espresso in it, too!)
The primary time I made this cake, I used a chocolate stout, however I’ve additionally made it with Guinness and both beer works nice on this recipe.
I like to complete this chocolate Guinness cake with a wealthy chocolate ganache frosting. For the reason that cake itself has a deep chocolate taste however isn’t wealthy, it balances out the richness of the chocolate ganache.
That is undoubtedly a cake for the chocolate lovers in your life!
Learn how to Make Chocolate Guinness Cake
Like almost all layer cake recipes, this chocolate Guinness cake is spectacular to chop into. However you don’t want any particular abilities to make it, I promise!
Substances you’ll want
To make this decadent cake, you will want:
- 12 ounces Guinness beer (you too can use chocolate stout)
- ½ cup sturdy black espresso
- 2 cups unsalted butter, lower into items
- 1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 4 cups all objective flour
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 giant eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups bitter cream
Any good stout beer will work on this cake, however I personally favor to make use of Guinness or a pleasant chocolate stout.
If you happen to aren’t an everyday espresso drinker and don’t wish to brew a pot, you’ll be able to exchange the espresso with ½ teaspoon of on the spot espresso powder dissolved in ½ cup of scorching water.
I like to recommend utilizing dutch-processed cocoa powder on this cake. Dutch-process cocoa has been by means of an alkalizing course of that offers it a better pH and a darker, richer shade than pure, unsweetened cocoa.
You will discover dutch-process cocoa within the baking aisle of most grocery shops lately. It is going to typically be labeled as “dutched,” “alkalized,” or “European fashion.”
When measuring out your substances, be sure to know methods to measure flour appropriately. Use this identical technique for measuring the cocoa powder as nicely. It will assist your chocolate Guinness cake to come back out completely each time.
If you wish to make the chocolate ganache frosting, you will want:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 pound chopped semisweet chocolate
It will make sufficient ganache to cowl and fill all 3 layers of the cake.
Making this cake
This recipe makes a three-layer 8-inch cake, so you will want three 8-inch spherical cake pans. Evenly coat all the pans with nonstick cooking spray or butter and line them with parchment on the bottoms. I additionally suggest spraying the parchment paper.
This recipe makes a LOT of batter, so you’ll undoubtedly want to make use of your greatest mixing bowl. If in case you have a 5-quart KitchenAid mixer, it should match however simply barely!
To make the cake batter, begin by bringing the Guinness, espresso, and butter to a simmer in a big, heavy saucepan over medium warmth. As soon as simmering, add the cocoa powder and whisk till easy. Let this cool.
Now whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a big bowl. In your greatest bowl or your stand mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla, and bitter cream collectively till easy.
Add the Guinness-chocolate combination to the egg combination, beating till simply mixed. Ensure that the stout combination is cool sufficient earlier than including it that it gained’t scramble the eggs.
Slowly add the flour combination, beating on low pace till simply mixed.
Divide the batter evenly between the ready cake pans, then bake for 40-45 minutes at 350°F. It would be best to rotate the pans midway by means of baking to ensure all 3 layers bake evenly.
The truffles are carried out baking when a tester inserted into the middle comes out clear. Let the truffles cool within the pans for 10 minutes earlier than turning them out a wire rack to chill utterly.
For the chocolate ganache frosting, deliver the cream to a simmer over medium warmth. Add the chopped semi-sweet chocolate to a bowl and pour the new cream over it.
Let the combination relaxation for a couple of minutes, then whisk till the ganache is melted and easy.
Refrigerate till the combination is spreadable, stirring each 20-Half-hour. This normally takes about 90 minutes for me.
To assemble the truffles, place 1 layer on a cake plate. If the truffles are very domed, you need to use a big, serrated knife to degree the tops.
Unfold ⅔ cup of the frosting on prime of the primary layer. Prime with the second layer and repeat. End with the third layer and unfold the remaining frosting excessive and sides of the cake.
If desired, end the chocolate Guinness cake with some chocolate curls.
Storage Suggestions
Retailer chocolate Guinness cake lined in a cake service for 3-4 days at room temperature.
I don’t personally love refrigerating this cake – typically the feel adjustments a bit after it has been refrigerated. However you definitely can refrigerate it or freeze it for longer storage; observe my instructions for methods to freeze cake when doing so.
Recipe FAQs
Do I’ve to make use of Guinness particularly when making this cake?
I really like utilizing Guinness on this recipe as a result of it’s essentially the most iconic Irish stout (and really easy to seek out, particularly round St. Patrick’s Day). However any dry stout in the same fashion to Guinness ought to work simply high quality.
I’ve additionally used chocolate stout on this recipe and that was additionally scrumptious!
I don’t like or can’t have beer. What can I take advantage of on this recipe as a substitute?
This explicit chocolate Guinness cake actually does depend on the stout within the cake batter, so there isn’t a great alternative for it when you don’t like beer.
In case you are nonetheless on the lookout for an excellent chocolate cake with out the stout, strive black magic cake, eggless chocolate cake, and even this vegan chocolate cake.
I don’t have dutch-processed cocoa. Can I take advantage of pure cocoa as a substitute?
I personally suppose this recipe works finest with dutched cocoa, however you can also make it with pure unsweetened cocoa. Simply understand that the colour of the ultimate cake is probably not fairly as darkish and the feel could also be barely completely different as a consequence of pH variations within the two cocoas.
Can I take advantage of yogurt as a substitute of bitter cream within the cake batter?
Completely. If you happen to don’t have bitter cream readily available, plain yogurt will work. I favor to make use of Greek yogurt when baking and discover it’s the closest in texture to bitter cream.
I don’t take care of the richness of the chocolate ganache frosting on this chocolate Guinness cake. Is there a special frosting I can use as a substitute?
Sure! My do-it-yourself chocolate frosting is a superb choice. Even cream cheese frosting could be scrumptious with the deep chocolate taste of this chocolate Guinness cake.
For the Cake
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Evenly coat three 8-inch spherical cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray or butter and line with parchment paper rounds, then spray paper. Put aside.
-
In heavy giant saucepan over medium warmth, deliver Guinness, espresso and butter to a simmer. Add cocoa powder and whisk till combination is easy. Cool barely.
-
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a big bowl to mix. In one other giant bowl, use an electrical mixer to beat eggs, vanilla and bitter cream till easy.
-
Add Guinness-chocolate combination to the egg combination and beat till simply mixed, taking care the stout combination is cool sufficient that it’ll not prepare dinner the eggs. Progressively add flour combination, beating on low pace till simply mixed. Divide batter equally amongst ready pans.
-
Bake truffles 40-45 minutes, rotating pans between racks midway by means of baking. Desserts are carried out when a tester inserted into heart of truffles comes out clear. Switch truffles to rack; cool 10 minutes within the pans. Flip truffles out onto rack and funky utterly.
For the frosting
-
Convey cream simply to a simmer in a saucepan over medium warmth. Take away from warmth. Add chopped chocolate to a bowl and pour over scorching cream. Let stand for a couple of minutes, then whisk till melted and easy. Refrigerate till icing is spreadable, stirring each 20-Half-hour, about 1 ½ hours.
-
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Unfold 2/3 cup icing over. Prime with second cake layer. Unfold 2/3 cup icing over. Prime with third cake layer. Unfold remaining icing over prime and sides of cake. Prime with chocolate curls.
I like to recommend utilizing dutch-processed cocoa powder on this cake. Dutch-process cocoa has been by means of an alkalizing course of that offers it a better pH and a darker, richer shade than pure, unsweetened cocoa. You will discover dutch-process cocoa within the baking aisle of most grocery shops lately. It is going to typically be labeled as “dutched,” “alkalized,” or “European fashion.”
I like to recommend trimming the domes from the tops of the cake for even layers whereas frosting. Use a big serrated knife to do that.
Serving: 1slice | Energy: 857kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 10g | Fats: 51g | Saturated Fats: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 14g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 1340IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 5mg