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The secret to my recipe for Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Buttercream is to reduce the stout first to give you a deeply malted and moist crumb. The frosting adds just enough excitement without stealing the show and the end result is a cake you can't resist eating... even for breakfast! | theeverykitchen.com

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Buttercream

The secret to my recipe for Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream is to reduce the stout first to give you a deeply malted and moist crumb. The frosting adds just enough excitement without stealing the show and the end result is a cake you can’t resist eating… even for breakfast!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Irish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 12-ounce bottle Guinness Stout
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream

Instructions

For the cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, coat with cooking spray, and flour the sides.

  2. Pour the Guinness into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and the cocoa mixture and mix on low speed 30 seconds until the dry ingredients are moist. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 more minutes.

  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, using a kitchen scale to ensure they are even. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  5. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack 5-10 minutes. Remove the cakes from their pans and continue to cool on wire rack until room temperature.

For the buttercream:

  1. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar then the Irish cream. Beat the mixture on high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a splash more Irish cream. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.

To assemble:

  1. Dap some frosting on the bottom of your cake stand or serving plate. This will help keep the cake in place while you decorate. If needed, use a sharp serrated knife to horizontally slice the top off the bottom later to flatten in. Place the bottom layer on the cake stand.

  2. Use a piping bag to pipe 1/3 of the frosting on top of the bottom layer. Make sure it is in an even layer. Place the second layer on top. Pipe 1/3 of the frosting on top of the cake and the remaining 1/3 around the side of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting into a thin and even layer, focusing more on the top of the cake to create that "naked" look, if desired. Top with chocolate curls, chocolate sprinkles, or other decor.

  3. Cover and store at room temperature 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.