This rich, moist chocolate stout cake is infused with the deep flavor of dark beer and topped with raspberries and cream for a wonderful dessert. Inspired by a memorable cake I shared with friends in Scotland, this recipe is perfect for celebrations or any day when you need some chocolate.
Will and I arrived in Scotland on a Monday night in October, tired from the journey and, as usual, hungry. Hunger follows us everywhere. It is effectively our third wheel. Our friends, the Marden family, who had just traded from Houston to Aberdeen, welcomed us to their new home with a chocolate cake that said, “Stay as long as you like.”
My eldest daughter, Agatha, baked a rich but modest chocolate stout cake. It’s not heavy but it’s rich. It had a rich chocolate flavor, a soft stout aroma, and was perfectly moist. I ate the slice quickly, savoring each bite while resisting the urge to listen for seconds. (I’m not asking for a slice anymore, but sometimes you have to be calm.)
I didn’t know it at the time, but that cake meant more than just a warm welcome to Scotland. It quietly became the blueprint for our wedding cake. Some recipes allow you to do this and remain established in your life.
Here are the ingredients you need to make this chocolate stout cake:
• Guinness beer (or dark stout beer)
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
• Granulated sugar
• Baking soda and baking powder
• All-purpose flour
• Unsalted butter (I’ve been baking with salted butter lately, and I don’t know why I didn’t bake this way sooner!)
• Vanilla essence
• For the cake topping: cream cheese and Baileys liqueur, fresh raspberries, cocoa powder, and store-bought meringue cookies for a rich, easy-to-spread glaze.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine Guinness and butter. Mix and swirl them together until the butter melts into the beer and creates a rich, chocolatey, magical base. Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
When the butter and beer combination is ready, pour it into the cocoa and sugar mixture and whisk together until smooth and glossy. The chocolate mixture will cool slightly while whisking, but give it a moment to come to room temperature before grabbing the hand mixer. Once cool enough to handle, add the eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk and mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and silky.
In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients a little at a time and mix on low speed until just combined. Then give it a quick whisk on medium speed for about a minute to make sure everything is well incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, slide into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the top springs back when you press it lightly, or when a toothpick comes out clean (or a few moist crumbs are fine). Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes, then remove the springform by loosening the edges with a knife.
While the cake cools, let’s talk about the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until softened. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth and well combined. Add a little powdered sugar and Baileys (or cream if you want to keep it classic) and mix everything together until smooth and spreadable.
Once the cake has cooled, transfer it to a plate and spread a generous layer of cream cheese frosting on top. Just before serving, sprinkle with cocoa powder and top with fresh raspberries and delicate meringue for an even more elegant touch.
Do you have any leftovers? lucky you! Wrap loosely and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (if you can store it for longer).
For our wedding cake, I multiplied this recipe by 6 to create three 9 x 13 inch layers. I topped and stuffed the cake with Swiss meringue buttercream because it’s a very firm and not too sweet topping. It was filled with a tart lemon raspberry curd and was absolutely delicious!! A video about the cake can be found here.
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explanation
This rich, moist chocolate stout cake is infused with the deep flavor of dark beer and topped with raspberries and cream for a wonderful dessert.
For cake:
For frosting:
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment paper. Set the pot aside and combine the Guinness and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirl the butter around the pan until it melts. While the butter is melting, combine the cocoa powder and sugar in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter mixture into the cocoa and sugar mixture and whisk to combine. The chocolate mixture should cool while whisking, but make sure it has cooled to almost room temperature before using your hand mixer to mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk on medium speed. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking soda. Add powder and salt until homogeneous. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, with slightly moist crumbs remaining. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes, then run a cake knife between the cake and the tin to loosen the springform. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Place the butter in a medium bowl and mix until softened around the edges of the bowl. Add softened cream cheese and mix. Add powdered sugar and a little Baileys or cream. Mix until smooth and spread. Place cooled cake on a plate and drizzle with cream cheese frosting until smooth. Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder and top with raspberries and meringue. Leftovers can be stored, loosely wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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