Will and I arrived in Scotland on a Monday night in October, travel-weary and, as usual, hungry. Hunger follows us everywhere – it’s practically our third wheel. Our friends, the Mardens, who had just been traded to Aberdeen in Houston, welcomed us to their new home with the kind of chocolate cake that says, “Stay as long as you like”—so we did. What did
The eldest daughter, Agatha, had baked a chocolate stout cake that was rich but unassuming. Dense without being heavy. It was dark chocolatey, fragrant with a mildly thick texture, and perfectly moist. I ate my slice quickly, savoring every bite and resisting the urge to ask for seconds. (I’m not above asking for another piece, but sometimes you have to play it cool.)
We didn’t know it at the time, but that cake wasn’t the only warm welcome in Scotland. This quietly became the blueprint for our wedding cake. Some recipes do that – they settle into your life and stay.
You will need these ingredients to make this Chocolate Stout Cake.
• Guinness (or any 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 (although I’ve been baking with salted butter of late and I don’t know why I didn’t bake this way sooner!).
Vanilla extract
• To top the cake: Cream cheese and Bailey’s liqueur to make a thick and spreadable glaze, fresh raspberries, cocoa powder, and a store-bought meringue cookie.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine Guinness and butter. Let them mix together and swirl until the butter melts into the beer, creating the base for our rich, chocolatey magic. While this is happening, whisk together the cocoa powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Once the butter/beer combo is ready, add it to the cocoa and sugar mixture and whisk together until smooth and glossy. The chocolate mixture will cool slightly, but give it a little extra time to come to room temperature before grabbing your hand mixer. When it’s cool enough, beat the eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and silky.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Then give it a quick beat on medium speed for about a minute to make sure everything is well incorporated. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, slide it into the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs — it’s all good). Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before loosening the edges with a knife and releasing the spring form.
While the cake is cooling, let’s talk about the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until it’s nice and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth and well combined. Toss in the powdered sugar and a splash of Bailey’s (or if you’re keeping it classic) and beat it all together until smooth and spreadable.
Once the cake is cooled, transfer it to a serving plate and spread the cream cheese frosting generously over the top. Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder and crown with fresh raspberries and delicate meringue for an extra touch of elegance.
Any leftovers? You are lucky! Wrap them loosely and store in the refrigerator for up to four days—if they last that long.
For our wedding cake, I multiplied this recipe by 6 to make three 9×13 inch layers. I topped and filled the cake. a Swiss Meringue Buttercream Because it is very strong and not too sweet topping. Inside I filled the layers with tart. Lemon Raspberry Yogurt And it was just beautiful!! You can find a video on the cake coming together. Here!
Description
This rich and moist chocolate stout cake is full of deep beer flavors and topped with raspberries and cream for a wonderful dessert.
For the cake:
For the 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. Keep the pan aside.
- Combine Guinness and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirl around the pan until the butter melts. While the butter is melting, whisk together the cocoa powder and sugar in a large bowl.
- Pour the melted butter mixture into the cocoa and sugar mixture and stir to combine. The chocolate mixture should cool as it is whipped but just make sure it is mostly at room temperature before using a hand mixer to beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk on medium speed. do for
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat on low speed until combined, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes before running a cake knife between the cake and the pan and loosening the spring form.
- While the cake has cooled, make the frosting. Beat the butter in a medium bowl until it softens around the bowl. Add softened cream cheese and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar and a splash of Baileys or cream to the mixture. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
- Place the cooled cake on a plate and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting. Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder and top with raspberries and meringue.
- Any leftovers can be wrapped loosely and refrigerated for up to 4 days.