Best Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe

last updated 03/04/2026

This chocolate cake is dense and moist and has an amazing deep chocolate flavor. The cream cheese frosting perfectly compliments the rich chocolate flavor. The best thing about this cake is it only gets better with time! I hope you take the time to treat yourself to this super easy one pan, no fuss cake.

Why I love this chocolate cake so much!

I love Guinness. As in I love to drink Guinness. So when I saw Nigella make this cake I was like, “oh well yes I do need this delicious cake in my life”. One pan, mix by hand what’s not too like? If you do not like to drink beer, or you do not like Guinness beer have no fear (see what I did there?) the guinness flavor is not detectable. If you are a fan of stout beers, and you happen to have another brand on hand you can use it. I found a chocolate stout at our corner liquor store and used it and it worked perfectly. I love making this cake for St. Patrick’s Day. It gives me a reason to make chocolate cake and to forgo any green food coloring. My St. Patty’s day menu usually consists of Boiled Dinner, my dads favorite meal, a simple soda bread, and this chocolate cake recipe.

Gather these ingredients

How to make this cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Note: no stand mixer or even hand mixer is needed for chocolate guinness cake. A whisk is all you need! However, I did use one to whip up the frosting, if you don’t have a stand mixer you can use a whisk and or of course a hand mixer works perfectly.

Cut butter into chunks, over medium heat add one cup of guinness beer and butter to a sauce pan heat until butter has melted. Add granulated and brown sugars and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Do not bring to a boil.

Once sugars have dissolved, remove from heat and add cocoa powder to pan, whisk until completely incorporated and smooth. Set aside to cool.

While beer mixture is cooling prepare your cake pan. Prepare 9 inch springform pan (a 9″ by 2″ deep round cake pan or a bundt pan can also be used) but thoroughly buttering the inside of pan, but out a round piece of parchment paper, lay that in the bottom of the spring form pan or round cake pan, then brush with melted butter add 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder to the pan and bump it around so the entire inside of the pan is dusted with cocoa powder. Knock any excess powder into your sink. Set pan aside.

In a separate bowl measure out flour, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside. You are becoming a pro at setting things aside at this point. Now it’s time to get into it!

In a large bowl combine sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract. This is not a typo there is actually one tablespoon of pure vanilla extract in this cake.

Now take room temperature beer, butter, sugar mixture and whisk it into the sour cream and egg mixture.

Now add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine until smooth and glossy there shouldn’t be any lumps.

Pour cake batter in your prepared pan place in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. When middle is pricked with a toothpick or a cake tester it should come out clean.

Place cool cake on a wire rack for cooling. After 15 minutes remove cake from pan and allow to completely cool on wire rack.

While cake cools. You can make the cream cheese frosting. Add cream cheese and butter to bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. (A whisk only can be used for frosting as well, you will just need to use a little elbow grease.) Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, gradually add powdered sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, half and half or heavy cream. If frosting seems too stiff add a little more milk if it’s too loose add more powdered sugar. Frosting should be the consistency of thick pudding. You want it to escape over the edge of the cake when pour on top, but it should not run off completely.

When frosting is perfectly smooth and cake is cooled, place cake on a plate or a cake stand. Pour frosting on top of cake, and gently spread out with a off set spatula. Serve immediantly or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

This cake gets better. So it’s a great cake to make the day before you want to serve it for dessert.

FAQ’s

1. What if I don’t want to waste half of a beer, can I use the whole beer in this recipe? Well, my first thought is just drink it! But if you don’t drink that wouldn’t be very good advice. I actually used the entire 12 ounce beer by accident the second time I made this cake and it turned out just fine. I couldn’t tell much of a difference. Now I didn’t taste the cakes side by side, but they were both moist, dense, and delicious.
2. Is there something non alcoholic I could substitute for beer in this recipe? Alcohol-free guinness is available, and I have used it before without noticing any difference in the cake taste or texture. Or Coca Cola is also an option, although I have not tried it this way I know soda pop can be substituted for beer in beer bread so I’m assuming it will work here.
3. We don’t like cream cheese frosting is there another frosting you suggest? Yes I have also used a butter cream frosting. I have included it in the notes of the recipe card below.
4. Can I taste the alcohol in the cake? No, this cake does not taste like alcohol or beer.
5. What size pan should I use? This recipe works well in a 9-inch springform pan, a bundt cake pan, or a 9-inch deep round cake pan.
6. How should I store Chocolate Guinness Cake? Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days because of the cream cheese frosting.
7. Can I freeze this cake? Yes! Allow cake to cool completely then freeze the unfrosted cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and frost before serving.
8. Can I make this cake ahead of time? Absolutely. This cake actually tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen.
9. What makes this cake so moist? The combination of Guinness stout, sour cream, and butter creates an incredibly rich and moist chocolate cake texture.

Tips for the best Guinness Cake

• Use room temperature ingredients: Let your eggs, butter, and sour cream come to room temperature before mixing. This helps the batter come together smoothly and creates a tender, moist cake.
• Use good quality cocoa powder: Because chocolate is the star of this cake, using a high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder will give you the best flavor and color. I always use Ghirardelli cocoa powder.
• Do not overmix the batter: Once the flour is added, mix until combined and when the batter is glossy, which should only take about 2 minutes. Over mixing can lead to a dense or tough cake.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting: The cream cheese frosting will melt if the cake is even slightly warm. Cooling completely ensures the frosting stays thick and fluffy. Sometimes if I’m impatient I will pop the cake in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
• Use parchment paper for easy removal: Lining the pan with parchment paper prevents sticking and helps the cake come out clean. Dusting greased and parchment lined cake pan with flour or cocoa powder adds another layer of reassurance that your cake will come out of the pan easily.

 This cake is rich and dense and moist and tastes nothing like beer if that is a concern for you.  The cream cheese frosting balances out the richness of the chocolate.  Quite frankly, I think St. Patty would love this dessert with a Guinness and boiled dinner on the side!

Are you of Irish descent? How do you celebrate St. Patty’s Day? Do you have a special meal or tradition? I would love to hear how you celebrate. I do have some Irish blood in me! Which explains my love of Guinness and a good ol limerick! May I entertain thee with a bit-o-rhyme?

There once was a brown-eyed girl full of cheer,
Who dearly enjoyed a good pint of dark beer.
She’d pour one in a cake,
For goodness’ sake,
Then serve potatoes and soda bread to her dear.

I would love for you to help a bonny gurl out and leave me a five star on the recipe card below, share, pin to your St Paddy’s Day Pinterest Board, and please leave a nice comment below. I would love to hear from you!

From my table to yours, with love and a wee bit of Irish cheer, Sheila