Dark as a Dublin winter evening and topped with a creamy white frosting reminiscent of a freshly poured pint, chocolate Guinness cake has become a modern Irish classic and feels perfectly suited to St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Rich, indulgent and full of flavour, the cake combines dark chocolate with Ireland’s famous stout to create a moist dessert with a distinctive depth. The roasted barley notes of Guinness enhance the chocolate, while the creamy topping mirrors the foamy head of the iconic drink.
Chocolate Guinness Cake at The Marker Hotel, Dublin
The cake has become popular with both home cooks and professional chefs and is widely enjoyed across Ireland. From cosy cafés and farmhouse kitchens to contemporary hotel restaurants, it reflects the country’s long baking tradition while celebrating one of Ireland’s best known exports.
Visitors travelling around Ireland can find variations of the cake on menus in many locations, from small island cafés along the Wild Atlantic Way to stylish city venues offering afternoon tea. The combination of chocolate and stout has turned the dessert into a favourite for both locals and travellers looking to experience a taste of Irish culinary culture.
For those celebrating St Patrick’s Day at home, the following recipe offers a simple way to recreate this rich and distinctive Irish dessert.
Classic Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe
Ingredients – For the Cake
- 250 millilitres Guinness
- 250 grams unsalted butter
- 75 grams cocoa powder
- 400 grams caster sugar
- 150 millilitres sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 275 grams plain flour
- 2½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
For the Topping
- 300 grams cream cheese
- 150 grams icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- 125 millilitres double cream (or whipping cream)
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/160°C Fan/350ºF, and butter and line a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
- Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter — in spoons or slices — and heat until the butter’s melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
- When the cake’s cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and cornflour and then beat to combine.
- If using double cream, add it and beat until you have a spreadable consistency. If using whipping cream, whisk first to soft peaks, add a couple of spoonfuls into the cream cheese mixture and once this is combined, fold in the rest.
- Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.
