This was kind of an unexpected post, actually, so you may notice that there is only one photo of this cake, which isn’t how it usually goes around here. Since it has been so dark and gloomy outside for the past few days, I just couldn’t hold out any longer for nice natural light to take photos (or to eat the cake!), so I took a quick photo and decided to share this recipe with you anyway, because I have a feeling you, like me, have a thing for cake. Yep, I’m catching on quick.
Before I chat about it though, I want to share the winner of the Taste of Home Baking book that I talked about here (along with those rich and chocolatey dipped brownies!).
The winner of the giveaway is…
Sarah {Songbird Sweets}: “…my favorite dessert is definitely chocolate peanut butter cupcakes…i just cant seem to resist them:-)”
Congratulations, Sarah! I will be in touch with you via email!
So, back to this decadent Chocolate Stout Cake with Whipped Vanilla Bean Frosting…it will be a short and sweet post, but wow, guys, I loved this cake. I’ve been seeing Chocolate Stout Cakes here and there on other blogs, and I’ve always been intrigued, but never tried it. Since International Stout Day is fast approaching, I figured I better get a move on. Okay, no, I just read that tonight, but that would have been impressive, no? This is a rich, dense and moist cake made with, among other things, dark beer or stout, such as Guinness. The beer really just heightens of the chocolate-ness that’s going on and adds moisture to the cake, but I won’t lie–the dinstinct Guinness flavour is definitely present, however unexpectedly appropriate. It just all works (and trust me, you don’t need to be a beer drinker!). It did, however, lure my husband into trying it, and he was quite amazed. Just promise me you won’t tell him there’s sour cream in it? Don’t ask.
I decided to fill and frost it with my new(ish) favourite sweet frosting, the Whipped Vanilla Bean Frosting, rather than the popular chocolate frosting variety, simply because I love contrast in both taste and visual. Since this frosting (as you may recall) tastes like vanilla bean ice cream, all together this cake is kind of like a Guinness Ice Cream Float, and, although I’ve never had one, I’m pretty sure that’s not a bad thing.
Before I leave you with the recipe, I wanted to give you a save-the-date of sorts, for a fabulous giveaway I’ll be posting about next week. As part of the giveaway prize, Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts (where it all began for me!) will be saving 2 spots in the upcoming 2-evening Holiday Truffles & Bonbons class on November 24th & 25th from 6:30pm-9:30pm for a winner and a friend to attend! I’m so excited for the future winner of this prize, truly. Anyone will be able to enter, however you would need to be available those evenings and able to attend the Toronto class. There will be more even more chocolate goodness added to the prize from Barry Callebaut (you know, those folks who produce all of the premium chocolate products I love to use in my recipes, including the extra dark cocoa powder I use in all of my chocolate cake, including this one!), so stay tuned for details.
I’ll be back with another recipe shortly, friends!
Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Whipped Vanilla Bean Frosting {click to print}
Yield: One 9-inch round two-layer cake–12-16 servings.
Cake Layers
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) stout or dark beer (I used Guinness)
1 1/2 cups (340 grams/12 ounces/3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup sifted (115 grams/4 ounces) King Arthur Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa (I use Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder – Extra Dark
3 cups (360 grams/12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3 cups (600 grams/20.5 ounces) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (12 grams/11.25 mL) baking powder
1 teaspoon (8 grams) salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup ( 165 mL) sour cream, at room temperature
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round pans (2″ deep), line bottoms with parchment paper circles, then grease circles, dust with flour and tap out excess. Set aside.
2. Place the stout and butter in a large, heavy saucepan and heat on medium heat until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the sifted cocoa powder until smooth. Pour into a large heatproof measuring cup or bowl and let cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (flat beater), mix the eggs and sour cream on medium speed (I use #4 on KitchenAid) until well combined, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the cooled cocoa mixture, and mix on medium speed (I use #4 on KitchenAid) until combined, about 1 minute.
6. Add the dry ingredients slowly and combine on low-speed (I use #2 on KitchenAid) until blended, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl, and then mix for another minute.
7. Divide batter into prepared pans evenly. If possible, weigh the pans and batter with a kitchen scale for accuracy and even layers. If you do, each pan of batter should weigh ~1 kg/2.2 lbs. Place cake pans on middle oven rack side-by-side, but about 2″ apart and bake until toothpick inserted into centre comes clean, about 35 minutes.
8. Let cakes cool on wire racks for ~10 minutes, loosen edges with knife or small palette knife, then gently remove from pans to cool completely.
*Chocolate Stout Cake recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Whipped Vanilla Bean Frosting
Note: This is the same frosting recipe I often use, but I have modified the quantity to yield enough to fill and frost this cake.
Ingredients
1 pound (454 grams/2 cups/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
3 3/4 cups sifted (600 grams/1 lb + 5 ounces) confectioners’ sugar (icing, powdered)
4 tablespoons (60 mL) milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract — I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
pinch of salt
Method
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed (I use “4” on my KitchenAid). Butter will become very pale & creamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy, and fluffy.
3. Best used right away (for ideal spreading consistency reasons).
4. You can eliminate the vanilla bean and use 4 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
*Adapted from Donna Hay
Good luck & enjoy!
This looks so perfect :) just like all of your other cakes!
Thanks so much, Bianca!
Another fantastic cake, my dear! I can see how the stout would go beautifully in here!
This looks so good! I love how dark the cake is with the white frosting. I’ve tried this frosting from the vanilla cake post, and it was to die for. Thanks for sharing this!
I LOVE the contrast. Plus secretly I think vanilla frosting tastes better than chocolate anyway. It looks deliciously dense… and the beer part is a quirky twist. I don’t think I get more excited about any other blog posts than Sweetapolita ones. AND it’s Friday. :)
So sweet, Amyshka–thank you! And Happy Friday :)
hi rosie:-) im so excited that i won your giveaway!! thank you so much:-) and this cake looks delicious!!!!
You’re so welcome, Sarah! I hope you enjoy your new book!
I love the depth of flavour in a chocolate stout cake and the fact that you’ve paired it with a vanilla frosting sounds so absolutely perfect. Delicious!
Thanks, Kathryn! I completely agree with you about the depth of flavour–I really enjoyed this cake!
Oh boy. I’m in trouble. I have Guinness floats, shall we say, on a semi-regular basis. I’m imagining one now with a slice of this cake. Too much? I don’t think so …
This looks delicious! Maybe a funny fact with this, because for me it is always huh, stout? Because in Dutch it means naughty ;)
That is so funny, Benthe! I didn’t know that! :)
Gorgeous photos as always. =)
So glad you decided to share because this cake sounds amazing! And, despite the lack of natural light, your photo still looks great.
This looks so yummy! And perfect! Gotta try it tomorrow or so. Happy weekend! (:
I’m pretty sure I’ve gained about 10lbs since starting to read your blog! Everything looks so amazing that I find myself baking all the time! lol love this post, 2 more lbs here I come!
I have a similar recipe and all of my male clients rave about it. It is the perfect birthday cake for all of those guys out there who are not sweet tooths. I am not a huge fan of beer but to my surprise I really enjoyed this cake. I can’t wait to try your recipe along with that frostings – it looks devine! Thanks for sharing and Happy Halloween!!
I’ve always loved making the Chocolate Stout (Guinness) Cake! Everybody loves it because it has a beautiful moist texture and a taste that isn’t overly sweet.
Your photo looks lovely and I’m sure the cake lifted people’s spirit with the gloomy weather recently.
Can’t wait for the contest next week!
Hi! I’ve been following your blog for a while but this is my first time to be actually commenting! The contrast of the dark cake and pristine frosting is so beautiful. I’m sure it tastes amazing too!
Thanks so much, Erica!
wow this is fabulous! My mouth is watering!
:) This is the same recipe I use, it is amazing with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting!! It’s my hubby’s favorite and it always makes the boys happy because of the beer lol
Two of my favorite things cake and beer! YUM!!! This looks so good. Thanks for sharing.
yummmyyyyyy……..:>
Can i just say that it’s only 10:30 in the morning and i already want to make and eat this cake! It looks so good!
I am in love with this idea! This cake sounds awesome.
Yum! I’m intrigued by the addition of beer. Just printed it up. I’m thinking I’ll have to try it.
Love the idea of stout paired with chocolate….and I know the feeling of impending photo doom. Once that natural light is a goner so is my photography session. More reason to learn artificial light. Arghhhh.
You may be right, Marla–it’s hard to work around the weather! xo
Looks super tasty, despite the single picture!
Oh holy yum, that sound’s amazing! I’m a big fan of vanilla bean frosting on any sort of cake so no twisting my arm on this one! ;)
i made a similiar stout fudge cake and i made your swiss meringue buttercream with clearified bacon fat. instead of 4 sticks of butter, i used 3 sticks and 1/4 lbs of bacon fat. the buttercream was delish. i then topped each mini cupcake with a crispy bacon lardon. perfect for FATHERS DAY!!!
ps. i love your blog. keep up the great work.
Wow, John–that sounds intense! Thanks for the kind words :)
OMG, I have to win that prize! Ahhhhh!!
Stout is one of my favorite ingredients to put in chocolate recipes, I can’t wait to try!
This is a recipe that I’d really like to try. I’ve never heard of chocolate stout cake before, but it sounds delicious!
yummy perfect for my ladies slumber party! Would this recipe do good as cupcakes without changing anything? Or should I stick to a cake? Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Amy, I bet it would make fabulous cupcakes, because it’s sturdy but moist. I’ve not tried it that way, but I personally would try it as is if you do. The cake is also yummy as it is, so either one would be a great choice. Hmm, I’m not sure I answered the question! :)
YUM! Looks absolutely amazing!
Thanks so much!
You’ve just made me crave chocolate cake with vanilla frosting now! yummmm! i forgive you for the lack of photos because this picture alone is making me drool! Hope the weather is sunny, its gloomy here in melbourne too
Thanks so much, Iva!
I’ve been looking for the perfect cake to make for my husband on his birthday. I think this is the one. Thank you!
I want to add vanilla flavoring & cinnamon to this recipe. how much?
I made this yesterday – the cake is amazing, but we found the frosting was just too sweet for our taste. Easy fixed, just eat the cake… LOL!
I don’t have 9″ cake pans, so made a triple layer cake in 8″ pans and it worked really well. Later this week we’re going to halve the recipe and make cupcakes.
This really is a wonderful chocolate cake – I want to see how it goes with a dash of chilli powder added as well. I think that would add to the flavour without taking away from the guinness and chocolate yumminess.
Rosie,
I love your blog and have been reading for a while. We seem to have similar taste in recipes….. Anyway, I have a small specialty cake biz and have been trying to add new cakes to my menu. I am especially interested in “grown up” cakes with stout, wine, liquor etc. I made the stout cake and loved tasting that batter, shame on me, I know. But the cake was more brownie than cake. Is this how it is supposed to be or did I make an error? My husband has been eating it everyday, but I was expecting and am missing that “cake” texture. It has great flavor. Just curious if I did something wrong or if it’s just a different type of cake?
Thanks so much, Tammy. Hmm, to be honest the cake was very cakey and not brownie-ish, so I’m curious why. Did you measure the ingredient by weight or volume? Sometimes when it’s by volume, ingredient precision is an issue. I wish I could help in some way!
Mmm. It may only be 9 in the morning but Im pretty sure I already know what I’m having for dessert… ok maybe lunch. I’ve got some vanilla beans itching to be used up and it’s been almost 2 weeks since my last chocolate cake – far too long. And now this recipe gives me a delicious excuse to try a stout cake too. I love that pop of dark cake against light, white icing.
Oh my god this looks delicious. If I was to try this recipe… do you think it would go with fondant well? Just curious, I don’t want to ruin the taste :)
Thanks Katarina! I think it would do just fine under fondant, as it really goes well with the sweet vanilla frosting, which is essentially what fondant is. I’d be curious to hear how it goes, if you do give it a go. Good luck!
I made one tiny change: I used less sugar for the frosting because of the fondant; I didn’t want to make it too sweet:) I covered it with white fondant and did some painting on it (it was for a surprise party), I kept basically the black-and-white style of it. It was really, really, really yumm. Thank you for this lovely recipe:)
I don’t know if it’s faux pas to ask questions about mix and match but I’m making a cake for my man’s 30th – he collects stouts and loves both chocolate and peanut butter. I was thinking of mixing this cake with your peanut butter meringue buttercream. Am I trying to mash too many things together or might this work?
Wow this cake looks amazing!
I will be making this for my brothers 24th birthday cake, as he has requested a 24 – beer box cake. So a stout cake will be perfect to go with the theme! Hopefully it will turn out great :)
I just made this for my birthday, I really didn’t care for it too much. I think I’m going to use coffee in place of the stout next time because I did like the texture and flavor of the cake minus the beer…I guess it’ll be a mocha cake instead.
I am so torn between this cake and also your fluffy vanilla cake with vanilla bean frosting.. I know I want vanilla bean in my cake :) its for my 24th bday.. anyone have any advise in which cake is better to try??!! :)
Hello Rosie – I am wondering how this worked as far as crumbs were concerned. Did you need to do a crumb coat first? My friend made this for me and now I am giving it a go on my own so was wondering about the dark cake v. white frosting contrast.
Hi Kristin,
I typically always do a crumb coat, but particulary with a white on dark cake, such as this one. It really makes a difference, I find. I hope you enjoy it–it’s pretty yummy!
I made this cake for my son’s birthday party, and it was great!
I love your website and getting inspired by all the lovely cakes :) i am planning on making this cake for a friend and I would love to know where you buy the cacao barry cocoa powder-extra dark. Thank you.
Will let you know how it turns out :)
I love your Blog and I have made a couple of your cakes. I had a lot of fun with this one. I have just recently gotten into cake baking. (In large part due to your easy to follow baking rules post!) I’m super excited about it. Thank you!
I baked this today as a present and it was so good! Very heavy though, but I loved it :)
Hello Sweetapolita,
So loving your blog and the huge information therein. I have a Chocolate Stout Cake by Tish Boyle from The Cake Book.
Would love to try out this one, but I want to substitute the sourcream for yogurt (plain unsweetened) to cut down the fat. I hope it will yield thesame quality?
Thanks
Wale
Can you use this recipe for cupcakes????
I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it today for the 4th of July! The cake is rich and dense, however I didn’t taste the beer at all! I used Guinness – would the taste go away from having it on the stove too long? Also the icing was super sweet but unless in the fridge gets melty! I think I should’ve used less milk or more powdered sugar? I’ll definitely try the recipe again and I think a salted caramel icing would pair very well!
Hi there,
I’m planning to make this cake on Monday. When you say a vanilla bean, scraped, do you mean that we should use the scrapings, or use the pod?
Thanks so much!
Second question: I don’t have a standing mixer. Would a hand mixer do?
Thanks again!
Should the Guinness be flat before when the batter is started?
Hi! Can this be made a few days in advance, wrapped well and left in the fridge or will the taste/texture change? Thanks so much!
I made this cake for my boyfriend and my one year anniversary last September. It was an outrageous hit. I can not thank you enough! Everything on your site is delectable. Thanks so much!!! Now I just have to find what I’ll make him tomorrow…
Made this vanilla bean buttercream for my chocolate cake and it is outstanding. Total keeper. Probably the best buttercream I’ve ever had.
These are gorgeous! If I were to make these into cupcakes, how many would it make? and how long should the baking time be?
I made this cake a few days ago for a bunch of our “beer night friends”, and it was absolutely delicious! The only adjustments I made to the ingredients were using two whole vanilla beans in the frosting instead of one, and about 4 3/4 cups of sifted powdered sugar instead of 3 3/4 cups.
I found that the taste of the cake improved after refrigerating it for about 4 hours. It was even better the next day!
I had to refrigerate the frosting for about 2 hours before it was a spreadable consistency. Once I took it out of the refrigerator I whipped it again, adding another tablespoon of milk. It was much easier to spread this way! The frosting was just enough to frost the cake, with a generous amount of filling between the layers.
The directions were very easy to follow, and I appreciate the “number of minutes” and “mixer speed” that were included.
This is probably the best vanilla bean frosting I’ve ever made, and I’ll definitely use it on other cakes, as well.
This recipe is a definite keeper! Thank you for sharing it!