Chocolate Guinness Cake

This recipe is from Curly Girl Kitchen. I wanted to make this recipe because it is a small cake. Most cake recipes are too much cake for two people. It is a Guinness chocolate cake with a Bailey’s Irish cream buttercream frosting.

It did not release nicely from the pans, but you cannot tell after frosting it.

You cannot really taste the Guinness in the cake, but you can definitely taste the Bailey’s in the frosting. The cake is delicious, moist and soft. The frosting is delicious.

I took this photo next to my LEGO coffee cup to provide some scale for the size.

I started by boiling the Guinness to reduce it to 3/4 cup.

It took about 30 minutes.

While that was boiling, I sifted the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, Dutch processed cocoa powder, black onyx cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt – into a bowl.

And mixed them to combine.

I added the wet ingredients – vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract – in another bowl.

And whisked to combine.

Next I added the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients.

And mixed the wet and dry ingredients.

Then I added the hot Guinness.

I whisked the mixture until it was smooth.

I divided the batter between my two 6 inch cake pans. I had prepared the pans before I started with baking spray.

I baked the cakes at 350˚F for 30 minutes.

After cooling a bit, I tried to get the cakes out of the pans. They did not cooperate. Next time I will use the baking spray-parchment-baking spray method.

For the frosting, I added softened butter to my stand mixer bowl.

I beat the butter by itself. Then I added the powdered sugar and beat them together.

Next I added the meringue powder, salt, and Bailey’s Irish cream.

This is the final frosting after beating at a higher speed for 5 minutes.

I applied a crumb coat. I think it looks like cookies and cream here.

I put the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then I took it out to apply the real coat of frosting. I did not feel like breaking out the piping bag to make the “crown” part. That is just very loosely shaped dollops on the edge.

I cut the cake into slices. I could probably have put more frosting in between the layers.