Rich, fudgy, and so delicious, this Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Frosting is just the cake you want to cap off your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but is so good you’ll make it all year long!
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Not just for St. Paddy’s Day
Like most New Yorkers, my family honors our Irish ancestors each year with a St. Paddy’s Day feast.
I’ll make a Shepherd’s Pie or Guinness beef stew, corned beef and cabbage, and Tara will always make a few loaves of Irish soda bread.
This Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Buttercream Frosting is always there to close out the meal and satisfy those sweet cravings.
The Guinness complements the rich chocolate, the cake is incredibly moist and light, and the creamy Baileys frosting is just out of this world!
And while this cake is truly wonderful for St. Patrick’s Day, it is something that can be – and should be – enjoyed all year long. Birthdays, gatherings, a random Wednesday night – there is never a reason not to make Guinness chocolate cake!
Cake ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Stout. We’re using Guinness, but you can use any stout, such as Murphy’s.
- Espresso powder. While this ingredient is optional, adding espresso to any chocolate cake amps up the flavor in a big way.
- Buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk with a little white vinegar, about 1 tablespoon per cup of milk.
- Oil. I prefer using oil over butter in cakes because it yields a moister cake. Use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or any neutral-flavored oil.
- Cocoa. I’m using natural cocoa (non-Dutch process) for this recipe and recommend you do the same. Using Dutch may affect the rise/flavor due to differences in acidity. Dutch process is neutral, while regular is acidic, so you may not get the same rise as you would with a natural cocoa.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Baileys buttercream frosting ingredients
- Butter. Unsalted butter softened to room temperature.
- Irish cream. Baileys is the most well known Irish cream but you can definitely find other brands and use those.
- Confectioner’s sugar. Be sure to sift the powdered sugar to prevent lumps.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
First, make the chocolate Guinness cake
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level. Line a 9×13-inch cake pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, add 3 cups (390g) of all-purpose sifted flour, 2/3 cup (83g) of cocoa powder, 2 1/3 (465g) of granulated suagar, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, if using, and mix to combine.
- In a separate large bowl add 1 bottle (317g) of Guinness, 1/2 cup (120g) of sour cream, 1 cup (224g) of buttermilk, 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup (162g) of vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a hand mixer, or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, to beat on low for 1 minute.
- Pour the Guinness cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then invert and place on a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper and allow the cake to fully cool before frosting with the Irish cream frosting.
Next, frost the cake
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 2 cups (454g) of unsalted room temperature butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy.
- Add 6 cups (700g) of confectioner’s sugar, 1 pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup (80g) of Baileys Irish cream and beat on low for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium – medium-high and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the frosting, and if it’s too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. If the frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of Irish cream to thin it out.
- Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to place the frosting onto the top of the cooled chocolate Guinness cake.
- Use an offset spatula to distribute the frosting evenly. If desired, add a few festive sprinkles. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
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Top tips
- The pan. This recipe was written for a standard 9×13 cake pan, which is typically 2 – 2 1/4 inches deep and holds a volume of 14 cups (3.5 quarts). It’s important to be sure the pan you are using is the correct size. It’s much easier to remove the cake from the pan if it’s lined with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, be sure to adequately oil/grease/spray the cake pan for easier removal. You can also opt to keep the cake in the sheet pan and serve that way too.
- Use a kitchen scale. Using a kitchen scale to measure ingredients in grams will provide a more accurate measurement. We recommend using a scale for most baking and dough-making recipes.
- Serving. If you’re not serving right away, store in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving. Room temperature frosting tastes so much better than cold frosting.
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Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the Guinness Cake
- 3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 1/3 cup (465g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2/3 cup (83g) cocoa powder non-Dutch process
- 1 bottle (317g) Guinness
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
- 1 cup (224g) buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (162g) vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Irish Cream Frosting
- 2 cups (454g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 6-7 cups (700-840g) confectioner's sugar sifted
- 1/3 cup (80g) Bailey's Irish Cream room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
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Instructions
For the Guinness Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level. Line a 9×13 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder (if using) and salt, and whisk until combined.
- In a separate large bowl add the Guinness, sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a hand mixer to beat on low for 1 minute. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it over and place on a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper and allow the cake to fully cool before frosting with the Irish Cream frosting.
For the Irish Cream Frosting
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy.
- Add 6 cups of confectioner's sugar, the salt, and the Irish cream and beat on low for 30 seconds then increase the speed to medium to medium-high and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Check the consistency of the frosting and if it's too thin, add the remaining cup of sugar a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached. If you find the frosting is too thick, you can add about a tablespoon of Irish cream at a time to thin it out.
- Scoop the frosting onto the top of the cooled cake and use an offset spatula to distribute evenly. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.
- This recipe is written for a 9×13 sheet pan, however, you can make a 2 layer cake by using 2 prepared 9-inch cake pans and using a kitchen scale to divide the batter equally between the two pans. The bake time will be much quicker, so start checking for doneness at the 20-minute mark.
- Leftover cake can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I served this cake for Easter dessert. Hands down, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The cake was rich and moist even after several days in the refrigerator. The icing received rave reviews, too. Well done, Jim!
Do you have an icing recipe to replace the confectioner’s sugar? I love your cake recipes, but all my people do not like sugary icing.
Hi Lisa, we haven’t tested a recipe with a replacement for confectioner’s sugar, so we can’t really say how it would turn out. You may find our cream cheese frosting is a little less sweet (see our recent carrot cake recipe), but it still uses confectioner’s sugar.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I made it for our family Easter dinner and it turned out to be the best cake I have ever made. Everyone loved it. I am not a practiced baker so it turned out to be a labor of love but well worth it.
I made this cake for Palm Sunday however due to illness family did not come over. I decided to freeze the cake and serve it for Easter.
It was delicious and was a hit with everyone. It froze and thawed great and the taste was fabulous.
Definitely going to be a staple in our home.
Thank you for all you great recipes.
This is by far the best tasting chocolate cake I’ve ever made! My birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day, (which was a Sunday this year), so I made this cake to share at work on Monday the 18th. It was a HUGE hit with everyone, and my boss asked me to make it for her birthday coming up next month. One of our service employees offered to pay me to make it for his birthday. LOL! My boyfriend, who isn’t much of a cake fan, absolutely loves this cake.
Every year I make Irish themed meals and desserts for my birthday, even though I’m not Irish. This cake will now be an annual “must-make” regular on the menu.
Thanks for the amazing recipe! I am just blown away at how amazing both the cake and frosting tasted.
Absolutely delicious. Made a nine inch layer cake instead of layer cake. Weighed ingredients
as always the best way to make a cake.This is going to be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now oh.
I made this recipe for a friend’s birthday the day before St Patrick’s Day. I decided to do cupcakes due to where we will be eating them. It made 42 cupcakes. I baked them 19 mins. They definitely will be a St. Patrick’s Day treat from now on!
Great recipe, making it now! Looks delicious!
Thank you so much for so many wonderful recipes. They always work out perfectly. Much appreciated.
I plan to make this on Saturday for a dessert ending our family St. Patty’s Day celebration.
Would it be acceptable to use a Bundt cake pan?
Thank you.
Hi Marie, we haven’t tested the recipe in a bundt pan, however, a bundt pan holds less volume than a 9×13 inch cake pan so you may need to reduce the amount of batter (or use leftover batter for a few cupcakes), and adjust the bake time. Another reader mentioned in the comments that she used half the recipe for her bundt pan. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy!
This is the best cake I’ve ever made. You have won me over for life. Such talent 👏. BRAVO!!!
Hi Arlene, we are so happy you loved the cake! Thanks for the comment!
OMG!!! WOW!!! Most amazing and delicious cake I’ve ever made.
Thank you for this incredible recipe.
Convention oven 325f for 43 minutes.
I used Baileys Salted Carmel…yep…incredible.
We’re so happy you loved it Joellen! Baileys salted caramel is a fantastic idea!
Well, 25 into baking, the batter is overflowing my own all over the oven. This was going to be a cake for a special occasion, maybe not! The one ingredient I questioned was the 1 tablespoon of baking soda….
Hi Joan, sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience. The ingredient measurements, including the baking soda, are correct and we tested this recipe multiple times. If you were using a standard 9×13 pan (which are usually 2-2 1/4 inches deep and holds a volume of 14 cups/3.5 quarts), you should not have had a problem. This is the size pan we used for this recipe and as you can see from the images we had enough room. The cake does rise more in the middle as it bakes.
I used the 9×13 pan, that being said, could it have been the altitude. We live in Colorado, 5,000 ft. Above sea level. I have to say, though, that the cake was a tremendous hit. I served it after a dinner of 13 guests. Several made me promise to make it for their birthday. Next time I’ll just bake a small cake with some of the batter and not fill my pan so full.
Altitude can definitely affect baking, including leavening. King Arthur has a great article on it and calls out leavening specifically. According to them, if you’re at an altitude between 5,000 and 6,500, the 3 teaspoons of baking soda should be cut to 1 1/4 teaspoon. I’d suggest taking a look at this article for more information. I’m glad you were all still able to enjoy it though! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
I used a half recipe for my chocolate stout bundt cake. Delicious frosting and the color of the frosting is beautiful. Happy St. Pat’s.
You’re very versatile in your cooking and baking. I enjoy all of your posts!!
Can the Guiness chocolate cake be in cupcakes also?
Hi Lorn, you can although we haven’t tested it so can’t say for sure what the baking time would be – likely around 18-20 minutes.
Absolute Genius! Chemist in the kitchen, I love this recipe!😋
looks great. thanks
I think I just found the recipe for my husband’s birthday cake. Looking forward to trying this, it sounds delicious.
I have tried it’s yummy😋😋😋
I absolutely can’t wait to try this one. Very nice recipe.
We hope you love it!