Guinness Chocolate Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Guinness chocolate cake on a cake stand.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Guinness Chocolate Cake is made incredibly flavorful from a combo of Guinness & brown butter. It's topped with the creamiest brown butter Guinness frosting. This easy cake recipe is perfect for any celebration - especially St. Patrick's Day!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Keyword Guinness Recipes, St. Patrick's Day Recipes, St. Patrick's Day Dessert, Guinness Cake, Guinness Desserts

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 20

Servings slices

Calories 587kcal

Author Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 cup salted butter 16 tbsp, 2 sticks, or 226 grams
1 and 1/2 cups Guinness or similar dark stout beer (
1 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 113 grams
1 cup granulated sugar 210 grams
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 110 grams
1 and 1/2 large eggs See note below
1 cup + 2 tbsp full fat sour cream 270 grams
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled 195 grams
3 and 3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp espresso powder
pinch of salt

For the Frosting

1 and 1/4 cup salted butter 283 grams
12 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature (it just needs 5-10 minutes)
5 and 1/2 cups to 6 cups powdered sugar 616 to 672 grams
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Guinness

Instructions

Prep: Grease two 9-inch cake pans with shortening and place parchment paper rounds in the bottom. Grease those as well, then flour the pans, tapping out the excess. If you skip any part of this, the cake will stick. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Make the Cake: Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium high heat. Once melted, turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring, until it browns. It will first bubble up, then get foamy, and then it will turn golden brown. The foam hides the color change sometimes, so make sure to stir it around well, pushing the foam out of the way, to make sure you don't overcook it. Make sure to stir well, scraping up any little brown bits from the bottom of the pot. As soon as it's golden (see photo above) remove from the heat, and pour into a large bowl.
Whisk the Guinness into the same bowl. Add the sugar and cocoa powder, and whisk until well combined. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, and espresso powder and whisk until well combined.
Bake: Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake 17-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it (not wet batter).
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a dull knife around the edge and invert onto cooling racks. Let cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting: Melt butter in a medium pot over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium once melted, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown. It will bubble up, then get foamy, then it will start to turn golden brown.
Pour into a clean bowl and set in the fridge or freezer to chill for 10-15 minutes. It just needs to be room temperature - not hot.
Meanwhile, beat the softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl on high speed until creamy. Add the slightly cooled butter and mix - the mixture will look lumpy at first, but it will smooth out after a minute or so. Mix in the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing between each addition. Mix in the Guinness and vanilla extract last. Taste, and add a little more powdered sugar to your taste.
Assemble: Frost your cooled cakes. Drop a large blob of frosting in the center of the cake, and use an offset spatula to work the frosting outward. Repeat for second layer. I left the sides naked on this cake so you can go heavy on the amount of frosting between layers and on top!
Serve + Store: If the cake has been out at room temp for a bit, you may want to chill it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before serving, so it holds its shape when you cut into it.
To store cake, stick some toothpicks in the top and in the sides to prevent sticking, then cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Leftovers keep well for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Make Ahead Tips: Frosting can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover tightly and store in the fridge. Let it come to room temp a bit before frosting, and mix it again to get it spreadable.
Cake layers can be made 1-2 days ahead. Let cool completely, then place each layer on a plate, stick 2 toothpicks in the top of each layer, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. The top of the cake is so moist, so the toothpicks will prevent sticking. Store at room temp overnight, or in the fridge for 2 days.

Notes

Half an Egg: To measure half an egg, crack the egg into a bowl and beat it with a fork. Pour two tablespoons worth into a separate bowl (to avoid spilling extra into the batter). Or, weigh it with a kitchen scale and use half (about 27-30 grams is half of one large egg).

Nutrition