Chocolate Stout Cake (aka Guinness Cake)
This Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe from Nigella Lawson might be the best chocolate cake ever. It’s a rich and decadent, but not overly sweet. The cream cheese frosting adds just the right bit of tang to the maltiness of the cake. It had been a while since I made this cake and when I made it this weekend I was reminded how good it really is (and easy to make!).
Key Ingredients
Stout - I prefer the flavor from a richer stout like Young’s Double Chocolate Stout over Guinness which is what’s called for in the recipe. You do you. If you’re a stout fan, I say use your favorite one. If I could get Dangerous Man over here I’d use that in a heartbeat.
Cocoa - I used black cocoa (this is a good one in the states), but you can use whatever cocoa you have on hand. The black cocoa lends a really dark colour and a bit more depth to the flavour in my opinion.
Sour Cream - it’s hard to find true sour cream over here, so I use crème fraiche, and on top of that I use lactose free. Just make sure what you’re using has a higher fat content. Do not skimp on this.
Flour - Use all-purpose flour. I recommend weighing your flour. It’s more accurate.
Cane Sugar
Baking Soda - or bicarbonate soda as it’s called here in Sweden.
Vanilla Extract - use the good stuff. It’s really hard to find real vanilla extract here (note to self to stock up when I visit home this summer). It’s syrupy and thick if you get the liquid version or you can get it in powder form. I use the liquid, but and seriously considering just making my own using Zoë François’ method.
Eggs - use large eggs.
Butter - the recipe calls for unsalted, but I used what I had on hand which was salted and it worked well.
Cream Cheese (Frosting) - again use full fat. I used lactose free and it worked just fine.
Powdered Sugar (Frosting) - sift to get out any lumps before using
How to make Chocolate Stout Cake
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C and grease and line a 9” springform pan.
Combine Stout and butter in a sauce pan and heat until the butter has melted.
While butter is melting, in a medium bowl whisk sour cream, eggs and vanilla until combined well.
Remove stout butter mixture from heat and whisk in the sugar and cocoa. Then add in the sour cream mixture and stir well. Finally add bicarbonate and flour and whisk until all combined
Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 min to one hour (It took one hour in my oven).
Let cake cool completely in pan.
Prepare frosting and frost cake once it’s fully cooled.
Tools to make Chocolate Stout Cake
9” springform pan
Medium sauce pan
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Parchment paper
Digital scale
Measuring cups/spoons
Other ways to customise your cake
Make a layer cake by dividing the batter into 2 8” cake pans - cook about 35-40 min or until a cake tester comes out clean
Swap out cream cheese frosting for CHOCOLATE cream cheese frosting
Try a different flavoured stout - A coffee stout would be great, peanut butter stout, chocolate coconut stout, I could go on. I recently had a birthday cake stout that was wonderful and would probably be delish in this recipe :)
If you try the recipe, tag me on social media (@mplsgirl) and let me know what you think!