As you all know, I love making or baking a themed dish, and celebrating holidays with food, fun, and ear to ear smiles on my family’s faces. This St. Patrick’s Day I have the distinct honor of being able to make a special treat for my nephew, Robbie. You see, Robbie was born on St. Patrick’s Day, making an already festive day even more special. And I have the PERFECT birthday cake to bring to his celebration – an incredible chocolate stout cake with a luscious cream cheese frosting.

I first came across this cake a few years ago from British chef Nigella Lawson, and it quickly became my annual St. Patrick’s Day treat. The Guinness gives it such an incredible crumb. It’s perfectly moist, and the cocoa powder lends the exact right depth of chocolate flavor. The icing on the cake (figuratively and literally!) is that it ends up looking like a pint of Guinness when frosted. Deep, dark, chocolate cake with a “frothy” white frosting – this is THE cake to make for St. Pat’s.

Stir the sugar into the melted butter / stout mixture.

Whisk in the cocoa next.

You should have a smooth mixture.

Mix the eggs, yogurt and vanilla together.

Whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until combined thoroughly.

Whisk in your flour mixture until just combined.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Chocolate Guinness Cake

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson)

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup stout such as Guinness
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup full fat yogurt or sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips optional
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9” springform pan, or 9” pan with at least 3” high sides. Cut a round of parchment paper and fit it on the bottom, then butter the parchment. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, warm the stout and the butter until the butter is melted. Pour into a large bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar until combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
• To the chocolate mixture, add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla mixture. Whisk to combine well. Next add the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. The top should feel firm, and the sides should pull away slightly from the pan.
• Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack.
• For the frosting, Place the powdered sugar in a food processor, or you can use a mixer, and pulse to aerate. Add the cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend again until smooth and creamy.
• Frost the cake only on the top, so that it looks like a frothy Guinness. You can make this cake a day ahead and refrigerate, bringing to room temperature before serving.