This rich Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream is to die for. The cake is moist and chocolatey with a touch of Guinness flavor, and the Baileys frosting is perfectly sweet and creamy!
Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream
Since moving I have baked 3 cakes and we have only been here two weeks!
And somehow, two of the three cakes start with dark chocolate. I obviously am not going to be ready for bathing suit season…which in Florida starts like 2 months earlier than everywhere else.
But hey, at least I will be ready for St. Patrick’s Day with this Irish themed cake!
I am not really into wearing green, but I am totally down for some Irish themed desserts filled with alcohol. 🙂
This cake is kind of like an Irish Car Bomb, minus the whiskey and with a good dose of sugar added to it.
And don’t worry, the alcohol in the cake with cook out…however, the Bailey’s Buttercream will have a small level of alcohol in it.
But isn’t that what St. Patricks Day is all about?!
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If you really wanted to take this cake to another level, you could make a Jameson Whiskey glaze to drizzle on top!
Just melt 4 tablespoons butter in the microwave and then whisk in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons Jameson Whiskey and a splash of vanilla extract. Then drizzle away!
But I didn’t feel that this cake needed anything extra, so I skipped my original plan for a whiskey glaze. It’s perfect just as it is with a deep chocolate flavor and creamy Bailey’s Irish Cream frosting!
If you are serving a large group of people — or just really love cake — this recipe is easily doubled to make a two tiered cake.
Just slather some buttercream in between the two chocolate cake layers and then pipe your frosting on top. And viola, you have a super impressive two tiered cake!
Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream
Ingredients
GUINNESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup Guinness
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
FOR THE BAILEYS BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
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Instructions
GUINNESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one 8-inch round cake pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter and chopped chocolate.
- Once melted, stir in sugar. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in Guinness and vanilla extract until smooth. Quickly beat in egg until combined. Whisk in dry ingredients until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan until completely cool, then transfer to cake plate and frost.
FOR THE BAILEYS BUTTERCREAM
- Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on high until light and fluffy. Add Baileys Irish Cream and beat until combined.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all sugar has been added, give it a taste and decide if you would like a little more Bailey’s Irish Cream. If yes, add 1 teaspoon at a time until desired flavor is achieved.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag, and pipe along the top of the cake. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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What kind/brand of dark chocolate, please? Unsweetened, sweet? Thanks
Any chocolate between 60% to 80% will work well in this recipe!
Can this be baked in 2 6 inch cake pans?
Sure, the layers will just be thinner than the 8-inch. Keep an eye on them, they will cook a little quicker divided into two smaller pans!
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times, and each time it has overflowed all over the place. The flavors are amazing, but I think a deep springform pan is needed in order for the recipe to be a success. I only saw one other post with this issue. Did you receive any other comments about it? Maybe there’s too much leavening?
Any feedback is appreciated.
May I ask where you purchased the Bailey’s? I can’t find it anywhere!
You can find it at any liquor store!
Gotta love it. Beer and Baileys with dessert. My wife an I definitely need to try this cake.
The photos are beautiful. This is an incredible recipe that I’m dying to try!
Oh my gosh! I made this for St. Patrick’s Day and I just can’t say enough! Absolutely DIVINE! I’ll definitely be making it again!!
Jessica, sorry I can’t figure out how to directly reply, I just checked, and pan was 1.5 inches deep. It’s a Wilton but was cheap, now I know why! I can’t wait to get a new one. BTW I was able to save most of the batter and cooked it on a pan on the stove. Best tasting cake ever!! Ate the cake blobs with ice cream and it was so yummy!
Jessica, this looks awesome! I tried to make dark chocolate guinness cookies and they totally failed, because they became so bready- so a cake would be perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
You had me at Guinness! YUM!
I made this Wednesday (same day you posted)…actually doubled it and gave my aunt and uncle one for their 20th wedding anniversary…Hands down, the best chocolate cake I have ever made! I’m making it tomorrow for card club, but the Dixie Crystals site is down! Is this posted somewhere else?
Wow! Thanks Vicki! I am so happy to here it! 🙂
And no, since I developed the recipe for Dixie Crystals – the recipe is only posted on their site. However the website is back up and running!
Wow… Made this tonight and it was perfect; moist and with a wonderful deep chocolate flavor. My husband doesn’t like chocolate cake but he said this may beat his favorite of white cake with white frosting. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
A non chocolate cake lover that actually loved the cake? Now that is awesome! 🙂
When you made this how deep was your cake pan? I used an 8 inch but mine ended up overflowing in the oven.
My cake pan is about 2 1/2 inches deep. A few people below made it with great success – how deep was your pan?
I made this last night and it was SO good! Thanks for the recipe!
Oh gosh. WANT. Anything with the words “dark chocolate” in the title is a win in my books.
This cake looks incredible…would seriously love a slice or three right now. OMG…I may have to go bake it!
Whoa…. this is my craving of the day!
Dark rich chocolate with beer?! How can you go wrong? And while the glaze sounds heavenly, I’m a frosting gal myself.
It’s the grown-up version of a carbomb cupcake! Hehe, awesome!
Umm…YES! Love this idea Jess. That frosting speaks to me.