Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake
This chocolate stout bundt cake is moist, chocolaty, and has a whole bottle of Guinness beer baked right in!
I’ve never been a big beer drinker, it’s just not my favorite. But add a little chocolate and put it in a cake and I’m all on board!
This chocolate stout cake with ganache icing is simple but decadent. It’s very rich and chocolaty, and the beer adds a lot of moisture and also a fun flavor twist. It’s a boozy dessert perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any day of the year!
What type of beer should I use in this cake?
This recipe calls for one 12 ounce bottle (or 1 ½ cups) of stout beer. Stout beer is a dark malty beer with a smooth body and heavy, creamy head. It pairs really well with this chocolate cake because stout naturally has flavor notes of coffee and chocolate.
I used Guinness, but another brand that will work well include Murphy’s Irish Stout. Other dark beers like an oatmeal stout or porter are other options.
How to Make This Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake
I love bundt cakes because they are so simple and fuss-free! It naturally comes out of the bundt pan looking gorgeous and all you need to add is a simple chocolate icing.
- This cake using the creaming method, which means it starts with beating the butter and sugar together until soft, then adding the eggs and chocolate, and finally the dry ingredients and the beer.
- Because it’s such a thick cake, it will take about an hour to bake. Start checking at 50 minutes, if the cake feels firm and bounces back when gently pressed, test it with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the simple ganache with chocolate and heavy cream, then spread it over the cake. If you want a thin glaze that will flow and cover the bundt cake, use the ganache while it’s warm. The ganache will thicken upon standing. I let mine cool for about 15 minutes to get the look in these photos.
Bundt Cake Tips
- For best texture and rise, start with room-temperature dairy and eggs.
- It’s important to scrape the bowl down often as you’re mixing the cake to make sure everything combines evenly.
- I used a standard 9-inch bundt cake pan for this recipe, but some bundt pans vary slightly in volume. A good rule of thumb is to not fill your bundt cake pan more than 2/3 full or you risk overflowing the pan as it bakes.
- To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, try using a nonstick pan and grease generously with a nonstick baking spray (which has flour in it).
- Bundt cakes are great for making ahead. It’ll keep at room temperature for several days, or you can wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap (with or without the icing) and store in the freezer for a month or more. When ready to enjoy, simply let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours before removing the plastic wrap.
More Bundt Cakes To Love
If you love this chocolate stout bundt cake, consider trying one of these other amazing bundt cake recipes next time!
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This recipe was originally published March 2010.
Chocolate Stout Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate , chopped (113 grams)
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (270 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature (1 ¾ sticks, 197 grams))
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups stout beer , or one 12 oz bottle (I used Guinness)
For the chocolate ganach icing:
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate , chopped (113 grams)
- ½ cups heavy cream (125 ml)
- 2 tablespoons stout beer , or coffee or additional heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt cake pan generously with nonstick baking spray.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Pour the beer into a liquid measuring cup and set aside. (This will release some of the carbonation).
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate. Scrape down the bowl often to make sure batter is mixing evenly.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the stout beer, and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down bowl as needed. Mix on medium speed for a few seconds until smooth and creamy.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Leave the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- To make the icing, heat the cream over medium high heat or in microwave until it starts steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes and then stir until the mixture becomes silky smooth. Add stout beer.
- Let icing cool until it starts to thicken, then pour over cooled bundt cake. Let icing set up for 20 minutes before serving.
I HATE beer but will once a yr have a stout or porter (hubby says it doesn't taste like beer which is my point!) This year I experimented with desserts for St. Patrick's Day: 2 varieties of Chocolate Stout cake, choc stout cheesecake and Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. The better of the 2 cakes was much darker than yours, better after a day or two, cheesecake awful, imho, and everyone raved about the cupcakes. Believe the cake I preferred was from KAF and makes a huge cake. Think I'll save beer for self-rising beer bread or hubby and guests!
Just bought some Guiness last night for SPD. Now I know what to bake for dessert! Thanks Annalise.