By Nigella Lawson
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 5(6,873)
- Notes
- Read community notes
For me, a chocolate cake is the basic unit of celebration. The chocolate Guinness cake here is simple but deeply pleasurable, and has earned its place as a stand-alone treat.
Featured in: AT MY TABLE; A Feast for a Holiday, Or Everyday Exulting
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9-inch cake or 12 servings
- Butter, for the pan
- 1cup Guinness stout
- 10tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter (see Tip)
- ¾cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2cups superfine sugar
- ¾cup sour cream
- 2large eggs
- 1tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2cups all-purpose flour
- 2½teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼cups confectioners' sugar
- 8ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½cup heavy cream
For the Cake
For the Topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
512 calories; 26 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 46 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 345 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.
Step
2
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.
Step
3
For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.
Step
4
Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.
Tip
- The recipe for this cake in Nigella Lawson's cookbook "Feast: Food to Celebrate Life" (Hyperion, 2004) calls for 18 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter.
Ratings
5
out of 5
6,873
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Cooking Notes
maria
Love this cake. I do think a little Bailey's in the frosting does wonders.
JM
By volume, a 9" springform pan is 10 cups. You can use 2 "standard" 8" or 9" pans instead. Or make 18-24 cup cakes.
I used a 9" square pan and made 6 cupcakes as well (the 9" square has a volume of about 8 cups). I baked the cupcakes for about 25 minutes and the cake for 45.
Patrick
We make this cake one day in advance. It tastes better and it's a little more moist. We release the spring form after about an hour in the cooling process so the sides don't stick the next day. We prepare the frosting the day we plan to serve.
In a side by side taste test with my family of 19 tasters... this was a clear winner over the epicurious three layer Guinness cake.
sundevilpeg
It's better with 1) a half-teaspoon of kosher salt added to the dry ingredients, and 2) a better stout than Guinness - preferably a chocolate stout.
thelettermegan
Made this cake for the folks. They loved it! Didn’t notice the Guinness in the cake, but I noticed there was leftover beer in the bottle, so it was a win for the cook.
Rothbart
Please list ingredients by weight, not by volume.
ann
Made cake as stated. I used about 3 oz. of goat cheese in the topping in place of cream cheese. To accompany the cake I use a jar of Morrelo cherries simmered in a bit of sugar and ruby port. Served it on a plate and put the cake on top. It was a warm syrupy mixture that set off the deep chocolate cake. It was awesome and pretty.
Gail
For those of you asking for weight. You can find it on Nigella's website
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-guinness-cake-3086
Katrina
This was superb and so easy to make! Not too sweet (I used ordinary sugar, not superfine, and didn't adjust quantity). Came out perfectly. Icing was easy too, and frosted beautifully. My husband loved the deep flavor of chocolate with a hint of bitterness. Looked gorgeous as well! Did I mention how easy it was to make? :)
Queenoid
I made it in Denver (5280', folks, if you had forgotten!) and it didn't fall! Changes:
9oz stout
6.25 oz sugar: 2cups minus 2T
10.25 oz flour: added 2T to the 2cups
2 tsp baking soda (not 2.5)
Baked at 375 (actually in my convection oven, 350 which is 375 in normal ovens) for 35 mins. I should have checked at 30 mins.
Also, I food-processed the sugar and cream cheese, then added the whipping cream just until I liked the texture.
Quite yummy
Clare
I made this recipe into cupcakes, adjusting the cooking time downwards and just using a cake tester to figure out when they were done. I also used the food processor to make superfine sugar out of white granulated sugar with no problems. The cupcakes were a hit!
sundevilpeg
I make this with the above-noted changes (salt, a better stout) in a Bundt pan, rather than a springform, and don't frost it at all. Dusting with a mix of confectioner's sugar and cocoa is all it needs, not a thick gloppy frosting.
Maryriver
I have made this over and over since it was first published and think it is the best in the world! Last one I used a cherry ale instead of Guinness. Also tossed in a coupla handfuls of frozen Bing cherries and added more chopped cherries to the frosting and a bit more powdered sugar to thicken. The cake was grand and gone in one day. I am going to keep experimenting with the recipe as my go-to base for chocolate cake.
Lynda H.
And a few more notes on making and baking the cake:
I let the butter-Guinness-sugars-cocoa mixture cool to room temp before adding to batter.
After filling the pan, I rapped it on the counter a few times to shake out any air pockets.
I used an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness: 200 degrees F in center (don't start testing too early and deflate the cake).
ken
My go-to chocolate cake, always wins raves. It's what I think a chocolate cake should be: intensely chocolate-y, not overly sweet, and fairly dense. Occasionally I save other chocolate cake recipes but then I think, "Why bother?"
Jo A.
Came out moist and delicious but not quite chocolatey enough for me...can I just add more cocoa? How much and besides taste, how would that change the final result?
Jane Schaefer
I have been making this wonderful cake for many years from Lawson’s Feast cookbook. Always a hit and delicious any time.
Jim Draheim
I have made this cake for years just as written, and it always gets rave reviews.
J. Brown
Good but needs salt. All baked goods need salt. Add 1 tsp.
Jo A.
Yes I did that - 1/4 t fine salt. Not bad but could have gone a bit more I think.
Marianne
This is a fabulous recipe. I have made with Guinness or whatever Stout I can buy by the can at Trader Joe's. I have been making for years. It is the "official" Birthday Cake request from my family.
Stephanie
I make a very similar cake recipe as what we affectionately call Car-bomb Cupcakes (like the drink of Guinness with a shot of Jameson & Baileys dropped in) I make a Jameson Dark Chocolate ganache filling and mix Bailey's into the frosting. Every year its a huge hit and my office mates and family are currently counting down the days until I make the boozy cupcakes.
Voter Frog
Excellent, must try but with Whiskey frosting
karen
Has anyone tried this in an air fryer or microwave? My kitchen is undergoing renovation and I’m without an oven.
minahil
This cake was beautifully chocolately and dense, with a dash of complexity. Second the advice in the comments re: adding a splash of Baileys in the frosting, refrigerating the cake overnight (and making the icing the day you are serving), and adding a dash of salt to dry ingredients. The cocoa powder I had on hand was old, so I supplemented w/ chopped dark chocolate, which did wonders for both taste and texture. Also chocolate shavings on top of icing do wonders for presentation
Sue
I have made this several times and it seems to rise and then deflate when completed baking. It still tastes great and I turn it over so no one can see. Why does this happen? I am using a dark springform pan lined as directed; I have tried reducing the baking temperature and baking at directed temperature on another try. Research on-line states the batter was either over mixed or under mixed (not so helpful!) I used a whisk as directed. I would appreciate any thoughts. Electric oven
Donna
What caused the cake to collapse in the middle?
Jane Schaefer
You should bake longer.
David B.
I like to put spinach at the end to give it a brightness and a little extra nutrition.
Abbey
I’ve made this before with success but this time decided it would be fine to use a smaller cake pan. After a catastrophic spillover in the oven and abandoned bake I still had a mostly liquid cake so I opted to spoon the batter into a mini waffle iron and make waffle whoopie pies! Talk about lemons into lemonade. I used Kerrygold butter in the frosting instead of cream cheese, plus a splash of vanilla extract and extra Guinness
Caitlin
Has anyone made this recipe with non-alcoholic Guinness (I am sober). I may just have to try this!
Mary E.
The original 8 extra tablespoons of butter are not needed?
mll
I have made it multiple times with the revised amount of butter, and it is fantastic, so no, I don't think it's needed. I don't know how it could be made any better!(Tho Baileys in the frosting is amazing...)
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