Today, I’m excited to share with you this recipe for moist and delicious chocolate stout cake, which is one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. I got to make and serve this luscious chocolate Guinness cake to Anthony Bourdain, and it is the highlight of my professional cooking career.
Moist rich chocolate cake topped with barely sweet burnt caramel buttercream is a match made in heaven, and even though he was not a dessert lover, Anthony Bourdain said he enjoyed the cake. I’ll take it.
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Watch my best chocolate Guinness cake web story here.
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Chocolate Stout Cake, At a Glance
✅Skill Level: Beginner
✅Skills: Dissolved Sugar Method of Cake Making
✅Type: Cake
✅Number of Ingredients: 13
✅Prep Time: 20 minutes
✅Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
✅Yield: 1 9″ x 2″ cake
Jump Straight to the Recipe
If you don’t care to read the story about Tony Bourdain, feel free to jump to the recipe using that button right up above. Otherwise, let me tell you about my favorite culinary exploit!
The Time I Made This Cake for My Culinary Hero
In 2007, I was on the opening team at The Ravenous Pig, a gastropub in Winter Park, Florida.
One Saturday a month, we’d have a pig roast for lunch with a set menu including roasted pig (obviously), collards, cornbread, a pint of beer, and a small square of chocolate stout cake for dessert.
I was in charge of making the cornbread and the cake.
In March of 2008, we got wind that Anthony Bourdain would be the special celebrity guest at the Orlando Film Festival. We had already had a pig roast that month, but we decided to have another one specifically to lure him with the promise of whole pig with all the fixin’s.
It worked, too.
He showed up with a group of folks, including his then-infant daughter in a car seat.
We served his table family style, with large platters of pork and sides as well as a few extras like our house-made charcuterie.
I asked our chef/owner if I could please serve the dessert to their table, and he said yes. Huzzah!
I cut squares of the cake–dense, rich chocolate stout cake skimmed with barely sweet dark caramel buttercream–placed them on a serving platter, and took them to the table.
I stood right next to Anthony Bourdain, and said that I’d brought dessert and I would love for him to try a piece of the cake.
He said he really wasn’t too much into sweets, but I declared the cake to be magic. I touched him on the shoulder.
He took a bite. The man who had eaten his way around the world, dining in Michelin-starred restaurants and people’s homes in the poorest parts of the world, and accepted all he was served with grace and gratitude, ate the chocolate stout cake I made.
And declared it delicious.
And he signed my copy of his book.
Once he and his entourage finished eating, he then took the time to come back to the kitchen and talk to all of us for a few minutes. He told Rhys his Bratwurst was really fucking good.
That’s the highest praise anyone in the restaurant business can get.
That their food is really fucking good.
I know I didn’t have a personal friendship with Anthony Bourdain. I know he probably didn’t spare any of us much of a thought after he left the restaurant, but we were all such fans. And his taking the time to hang out with us meant the world.
So, in honor of what would have been Anthony Bourdain’s birthday, June 25, I offer this chocolate stout cake.
It’s really fucking good.
The Ingredients for Stout Cake
The ingredients are pretty straightforward. Aside from the stout, you may already have everything you need:
- all-purpose flour: provides the structure for the cake. I wouldn’t use cake flour here, as the cake is already really moist. If you use cake flour, I think the cake would break apart
- white sugar: for sweetness and moisture
- brown sugar: for sweetness, depth, and moisture
- cocoa powder: provides the chocolate flavor. Cocoa powder is, ounce per ounce, more chocolatey than chocolate since it is made up almost entirely of cacao and has relatively little fat, no sugar, and no dairy in it
- espresso powder or instant coffee: underscores the chocolate flavor
- baking powder: for rise
- baking soda: to balance the acid in the brown sugar (molasses) and the beer
- salt: counteracts any bitterness from the stout and cocoa and brings all the flavors into focus
- butter: (not pictured) provides fat to carry flavor and tenderize the crumb
- eggs: adds structure, moisture, richness, and emulsifiers
- stout: the liquid in the cake. Adds depth of flavor and subtle maltiness. To make a non-alcoholic version, use strong brewed coffee
- vanilla: rounds out the chocolate and beer flavors
- sour cream: adds a touch of mellowness, a bit of extra fat, and milk solids to up the protein a bit. You can also use creme fraiche or Greek yogurt.
Making Chocolate Stout Cake, Step by Step
Note, this cake is made using the dissolved sugar method. It’s a safe bet that any cake that relies on hot liquid as part of the ingredients is made by the same method.
- Heat the beer and the butter until butter is melted.
- Add vanilla. (And salt)
- Add espresso powder.
- Add the sugars.
- Sift in the cocoa powder
- Whisk until smooth.
- Whisk the eggs and sour cream together.
- Stir that into the chocolate stout mixture.
- Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Whisk together until almost completely smooth.
- Pour/scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- If using a push pan, set your pan on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven.
- Let it cool for a few minutes in the pan.
- Run a spatula around the inside of the pan to make sure the sides aren’t sticking. Set the pan on top of a small container of some kind–I used a glass, but a small bowl would work too.
- Press the sides of the pan down.
- Slide cake off the base and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold.
Jenni Says: To turn this into a stout layer cake, feel free to bake in 2 8″ or 9″ pans, or you can cut this one thick layer in half horizontally once it cools completely.
Why Refrigerate a Hot Cake?
As a cake cools, some of the liquid evaporates. And that can lead to a dry cake.
Wrapping a hot cake tightly in plastic wrap keeps all the moisture in the cake where it belongs. Tada!
Does Stout Really Make a Difference?
Yes, the stout Most Definitely Does Something. Do you guys remember the Maillard Love Story I wrote awhile back?
Well, it was all about why chocolate and coffee go so well together. You might as well just throw stout into that story and make it a Manage a Trois.
Stout goes so well with both chocolate and coffee because it is based on roasted grain–deep, caramelized, malty goodness.
As we know coffee beans and cocoa beans are roasted as well. These three flavors have a natural affinity for each other because they share a lot of flavor compounds.
What stout tends to do in a cake is
- reinforce the chocolatey goodness of the cake, turning it more fudgy
- It can also give just a slightly bitter edge, cutting the sweetness of the cake by just a hair.
In layman’s terms, and to channel Martha just a bit, “Stout in chocolate cake? It’s a Very Good Thing.”
Yes, You Can Make This Cake Without a Mixer
For real. Stand mixers are great to have, but you absolutely don’t need one to make this Guinness cake.
All you need are a couple of different bowls for mixing Various Components, a rubber spatula, and a whisk.
Here’s the procedure for making this cake. If I had to categorize it as a particular mixing method, chocolate stout cake is made using the dissolved sugar method, which is the same method used in my Halloween chocolate cake.
Another Frosting Option
If the burnt caramel buttercream seems too rich and not sweet enough, I have the perfect frosting for you.
My fluffy caramel frosting is a bit sweeter, doesn’t contain eggs, making it lighter, and is delicious to eat off a spoon.
Chocolate Stout Cake Q & A
Here are answers to some questions you might have when making this cake. I hope you find them helpful.
If I’ve missed anything, feel free to email me. I’m happy to help!
Guinness and Murphy’s, both Irish stouts, are great choices for making a stout cake. But with the proliferation of craft breweries in this country, your choices are almost limitless. Consider a milk stout, which is nice and creamy.
Stout really is the best choice, but if you can’t find any, you could also use a dark porter.
If you don’t want to use beer, substitute a cup of strong coffee. You can leave out the espresso powder unless you want the cake to be more of a mocha cake. It won’t have quite the complexity of a stout cake, but it will still be one excellent chocolate cake.
Yes. Freeze it before you frost it. It will already be wrapped in plastic wrap from cooling it, so you can then wrap it in foil and freeze it for 4-6 weeks.
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
Love This Stout Cake? Please Rate and Review!
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Thank you so much for taking the time!
Chocolate Stout Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup stout or other dark malty beer
- 8 oz. butter 2 sticks
- 2 eggs
- ½ c. plus 2 TBSP sour cream or creme fraiche
- 2 cups all purpose flour 9 oz
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
Instructions
- Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350F.
- Line the bottom of a 9" x 3" push pan or springform pan with a circle of parchment. Spray the parchment and the sides of the pan with pan spray. Set aside.
- Put the stout and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until the butter is melted. Stir and let cool slightly.
- Whisk together the eggs and sour cream. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Sift the cocoa powder into the stout mixture and whisk until combined and smooth.
- Whisk in the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, the vanilla, salt, and espresso powder (if using).
- Add the egg/sour cream mixture, and whisk well.
- Dump in the flour mixture and whisk/stir until mostly smooth. A few tiny little lumps are okay.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, carefully rotating the pan after 30 minutes if your oven has hot spots.
- The cake is done when the top springs back when gently pressed, when the sides are just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and when the internal temperature of the cake reaches 200F.
- Remove to cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
- Turn the cake out (or take of the sides or push down the sides, depending on your pan), and wrap well in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate the cake until cold.
- Torte (split the layer in two) if desired and frost with dark caramel buttercream.
- Store leftovers in the fridge, but let the cake return to room temperature for serving so the frosting and cake will have the best texture.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Video
Notes
Q & A
What’s the best stout to use?Guinness and Murphy’s, both Irish stouts, are great choices for making a stout cake. But with the proliferation of craft breweries in this country, your choices are almost limitless. Consider a milk stout, which is nice and creamy. We used Left Hand Milk Stout back when I made this for the restaurant. For this particular cake, I chose BearWaters Brewing Heavy Cream Stout, a North Carolina beer with a low ABV of 5%. This stout also features notes of espresso and chocolate, which made it perfect in the stout cake. What other kind of beer can I use?
Stout really is the best choice, but if you can’t find any, you could also use a dark porter. Stay away from hoppy beer like an IPA. It’ll make the cake read as bitter. I don’t drink beer. What can I use instead?
If you don’t want to use beer, substitute a cup of strong coffee. You can leave out the espresso powder unless you want the cake to be more of a mocha cake. It won’t have quite the complexity of a stout cake, but it will still be one excellent chocolate cake. Can I freeze my chocolate stout cake?
Yes. Freeze it before you frost it. It will already be wrapped in plastic wrap from cooling it, so you can then wrap it in foil and freeze it for 4-6 weeks. What frosting goes best with stout cake?
I have seen stout cake served with everything from just a dusting of powdered sugar to chocolate frosting to whipped cream to cream cheese frosting to Bailey’s frosting. Any of those options will work just fine. I do encourage you to make the dark caramel buttercream that I developed especially to serve with this cake. The frosting by itself is not very sweet and doesn’t necessarily inspire bowl-licking, but on this cake, it is heavenly.
Frosting Options
I developed the burnt caramel buttercream specifically to go with this cake. You can find that recipe here.For a more "approachable" buttercream, consider making my fluffy caramel frosting. You can find that recipe here.
Or let the cake do all the heavy lifting and frost with a creamy, not-too-sweet ermine frosting, which is more widely known as red velvet cake frosting. It also happens to be one of my favorite frostings for any chocolate cake.
Nutrition
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And there you have it, friends. An exceptional chocolate stout cake recipe. Truly.
Thank you for spending some time with me today.
And to Anthony Bourdain, I am so sad you are gone, but I am so grateful you were here.
Take care, y’all.
Join in Today!
Hi! I want to make this cake for my birthday with the burnt caramel buttercream! Does this cake do well as a layer cake with thinner layers instead of one thick layer? I would like to do 2-3 layers of 6 inch cake. If it translates to a layer cake, should I half the cake and buttercream recipe to get a good ratio? Thanks for any help, I can’t wait to try this combo!
Hey, Lauren! Yes, you can absolutely turn this into a layer cake. If you have 3 6″ pans, you can divide it into thirds and bake all at one time. I would make the same amount of buttercream since you’ll have to use at least 1/2 cup to fill each layer before frosting the whole thing.
I really hope you love it. This is one of my favorite cakes, and the frosting is perfect with it! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I want your birthday cake to turn out perfectly! 🙂
Wow, this cake looks delicious. I look forward to trying this soon.
I hope you enjoy it! Please get in touch if you have any questions!
I’m very excited to try this cake! Please let me know how to adjust temperature and baking time if using 2 9-in pans instead of a springform pan. The recipe sounds so good, I don’t wanna mess this up!
Hi, Anna! You should be able to bake in 2 pans without any issues. My guess is baking time will be reduced by maybe 15 minutes, but that’s also oven-dependent. Look for the cake to spring back when you touch the top and that the edges are just beginning to shrink away from the sides of the pan. If you have an instant-read thermometer, shoot for 195-200F in the center of the cakes. I hope you enjoy!
Phenomenal with a capital PH!!! Made this at night and shared with our neighbors at coffee alfresco the next morning. They raved about this cake. It’s so moist with a nice soft chewiness. I will be working on this to get better at it. Some things I did (or didn’t) do:
1. My springform pan is meh so I got quite a but of crispiness on the rounded edges and top. The middle was done but sank a bit creating a bowl for some yummy frosting. Since the cake was refrigerated, I took my serrated knife and carved away the crispy parts. It was quite satisfying to shape the lovely cake. I did not tart it because the middle was sunk in a bit.
2. I frosted just the single layer with a beautiful simple homemade buttercream frosting. Added a little chocolate caramel syrup (for coffee) to the frosting toward the end of mixing for a cool mocha looking tint. Didn’t have time for the burnt caramel frosting (excuses).
3. I love cold moist cake. This is the perfect fit. I frosted after refrigerating overnight. I also didn’t overdo it with frosting. This cake needs to be the star of the show.
Amazing stuff!!! Thanks for the recipe which is now being requested by the neighbors for BBQ get-togethers!!!
Best review ever! I’m so glad everyone loved it! I hope you do try the caramel buttercream at some point. It is truly perfect with the cake, but your coffee syrup buttercream is an inspired pairing!
The cake looks absolutely divine and what a story … what an experience, one that will forever make this cake taste richer and more magical every time you make it.
Yes, absolutely. I don’t make this cake too often anymore, but I will always associate it with Anthony Bourdain. xo
You touched HIM! I love this story, Jenni, and I can see why that cake is magic. I didn’t realize that June 25th is now Bourdain Day but I will add it to my calendar for next year. What a great idea to celebrate his life. I miss him.
Eric Ripert and Jose Andres came up with the idea just a couple of months ago. I am All In! 🙂
What a wonderful experience and this recipe is remarkable. I can’t wait to make it!!
Thanks, Jane. I hope you make it to celebrate one of your Chocolate Mondays!
Damn, Jenni…this is fabulous!!! Want and will make!! xo
You won’t be sorry! Seriously, Ally–this thing is The Best. 🙂
Oh my goodness, I saw this cake a couple of months ago. And I thought I left a comment. This is so good. I must make it. And if I don’t have the “stout” what do you suggest?
You could use any beer that’s not too hoppy. You could also leave out the espresso powder and substitute coffee for the stout. But, if you can swing it, use something w/alcohol in it, because I think it brings out the alcohol soluble flavors in the chocolate, making the whole shebang more complex. I honestly don’t think you can go wrong though, BA. This is a seriously good cake!
What kind of cocoa powder to you use and what kind of chocolate do you recommend?
I use Pernigotti cocoa powder–nice and dark! But I’ve had this made w/”regular” Hershey’s or Nestle, and while not as dark, it is still very chocolatey and delightful! As to chocolate for baking, I like something semi-sweet to bittersweet, and one that you like the flavor of “straight.” Callebaut makes very good and easily-found options–at Whole Foods or online. 🙂
Hi:
I cannot have anything that is a beer or ale.
Could you help me with a substitute.
Charlie
I would leave out the espresso powder (if using) and substitute coffee for the beer. I think that would be a very tasty substitute, and the frosting pairing would still work well.
Thanks so much.
I knew the minute I saw this I needed to make it.
Charlie
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it–let me know how it turns out if you get a sec, okay? 🙂
I am the worst with making caramel, it is on my bucket list….well if it isn’t, I need to add it! But I love the idea of a burnt caramel buttercream, it sounds really fantastic! Thank you for sharing your little secret:-) The cake looks so moist and amazing! Hugs, Terra
You should definitely make some caramel, Terra! Taking it really, really dark is almost as dare-devily as sky diving. Almost. 🙂
Ha, my friend Jenni is making me do math AGAIN! Thanks for this recipe 😉 I willed myself to pop open the laptop (I have been so behind reading blogs!
Just for you, I quartered the icing, had tons to ice the top and sides (I didn’t torte) and still have about 1 1/2 cups left over.
Here’s the math:)
4 oz egg yolk (about 8)
5.25 oz sugar
5.85 oz corn syrup
1 pound butter, cool but soft, in pieces
salt (more than you think necessary–for me, about 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, give or take)
2 teaspoons espresso powder
🙂
sounds very nice indeed, i’l try to do it with my husband
Oh, I hope you do! It’s very tasty and def not for kids! 🙂
Great blog btw. I always love glancing and reading food blogs and when I find one that’s got great photography I stick around or else I’m out of there. This blog is def a keeper!
Sebastian.
Incidentally, one of my favorite beers is also a chocolate stout. This sounds like my kind of cake.