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Guinness Cake
- Category: Popular |
With St Patrick’s Day just around the corner, it only felt right to bake a rich, chocolatey Guinness cake. It’s moist, indulgent, and topped with a creamy white chocolate cream cheese frosting... perfect with a good cup of tea.
SERVES
8
COOKING TIME
1 hour
DIFFICULTY
simple
What is Guinness cake?
Guinness cake is a rich chocolate cake made with Guinness stout. The beer adds a deep flavour and helps create a moist, dense texture. It is often topped with a creamy frosting, making it a popular Irish-inspired dessert.
Does Guinness cake taste like beer?
No, Guinness cake does not taste strongly of beer. The Guinness mainly enhances the chocolate flavour and gives the cake a rich, slightly malty depth.
Why is Guinness used in chocolate cake?
Guinness stout brings out the richness of cocoa and adds moisture to the cake. The dark malt flavours complement chocolate, making the cake taste deeper and more complex.
Is Guinness cake an Irish recipe?
Guinness cake is inspired by Irish baking traditions and uses Ireland’s famous stout. It has become a popular dessert in many Irish recipes, especially for celebrations like St Patrick’s Day.
Is Guinness cake alcoholic?
Most of the alcohol cooks off during baking. The cake keeps the flavour of the stout, but very little alcohol remains once it is baked.
What icing goes on Guinness cake?
Guinness cake is commonly topped with cream cheese frosting. The white frosting also resembles the foamy head of a pint of Guinness, which makes it perfect for St Patrick’s Day baking.
Can you taste the Guinness in Guinness cake?
You may notice a subtle malt flavour, but the chocolate is the main taste. The Guinness mainly enhances the richness of the cake.
When is Guinness cake usually served?
Guinness cake is especially popular for St Patrick’s Day celebrations, but it can be enjoyed all year round as a rich chocolate dessert.
Can I make Guinness cake ahead of time?
Yes. Guinness cake often tastes even better the next day because the flavours have time to develop. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 days, if it has cream cheese frosting.
How do you store Guinness cake?
Store Guinness cake in the fridge if it has cream cheese frosting. Keep it in an airtight container and bring it to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Method
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 150°C (fan).
Step 2
In a large bowl, add all of the sponge ingredients and mix well until smooth and fully combined.
Step 3
Pour the mixture into a greased cake tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, checking with a skewer to ensure it comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool completely.
Step 4
While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. Add the butter, icing sugar, cream cheese and melted white chocolate to a bowl and whisk with a handheld mixer until smooth, light and creamy.
Step 5
Once the cake has fully cooled, spread the frosting generously over the top, slice, and enjoy. Perfect with a cup of tea ☕️
Ingredients
For the sponge:
300g butter, melted
150ml Guinness
100g cocoa powder
300g caster sugar
1 heaped tsp baking powder
3 eggs
150ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
For the frosting:
100g butter, room temperature
100g icing sugar
250g full-fat cream cheese
100g white chocolate, melted
