Name: Chocolate Stout Cake
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 16–20 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans; 2 cups stout (such as Guinness); 1½ cups Dutch-process cocoa powder; 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour; 4 cups (800 g) sugar; 1 Tbsp. baking soda; 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt; 4 large eggs; 1⅓ cups sour cream; 2 cups heavy cream; 16 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

A slice of chocolate stout cake on a dessert plate with a fork.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart

The secret to unbelievably moist, robustly flavored chocolate cake? It’s beer. This chocolate stout cake recipe abides by the principle that when making a chocolaty dessert, adding a complementary ingredient helps the chocolate shine. For example, adding espresso powder to brownies deepens their flavor without necessarily leaving a distinguishable trace of coffee. In this recipe for chocolate stout cake, the beer serves a similar purpose.

Stout, such as Guinness, adds intense moisture to the cake’s layers and offsets the dessert’s sweetness with a touch of bitterness. For the deepest chocolate flavor, use Dutch-process cocoa powder, which is less acidic than natural cocoa. The result is supremely rich but balanced cake, layered with a silky, fudgy chocolate ganache.

This exemplary Guinness chocolate cake recipe comes from Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where it’s been a mainstay for years. It yields three layers of cake—enough to make a towering layer cake or a two-layer cake plus a batch of cupcakes.

Recipe information

Total Time
3 hours 20 minutes
Yield
16–20 servings

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans

2 cups stout (such as Guinness)

1½ cups Dutch-process cocoa powder

4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour

4 cups (800 g) sugar

1 Tbsp. baking soda

1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt

4 large eggs

1⅓ cups sour cream

Frosting and Assembly

2 cups heavy cream

16 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

Cake
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Coat three 8″-diameter cake pans with unsalted butter and line with parchment paper rounds; butter parchment. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups unsalted butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add 1½ cups Dutch-process cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Step 2
Meanwhile, whisk together 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, 4 cups (800 g) sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking soda, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat 4 large eggs and 1⅓ cups sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout mixture and beat until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and add dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until mostly combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter just until combined and no dry spots remain.
Step 3
Divide batter evenly among prepared pans; smooth surface. Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10 minutes. Run an offset spatula around sides of cakes to loosen, then invert cakes onto a wire rack; remove parchment. Turn cakes right side up and let cool completely.
Frosting and Assembly
Step 4
Bring 2 cups heavy cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add 16 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Chill frosting, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, about 2 hours.
Step 5
Place 1 cake layer on a cake platter or large plate. Scoop ⅔ cup frosting on top and spread evenly with offset spatula. Place a second cake layer on top; spread top with ⅔ cup frosting. Place third cake layer on top; frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.