I originally made this Chocolate Stout Cake for a Memorial Day party. The chocolate cake has Guinness in it and the frosting is a Dorie Greenspan recipe that calls for malted milk powder. So chocolate cake plus stout plus malt. If you're looking for a beer themed cake that doesn't taste like beer, this is it.
Now I just need to update the photo, which means I need to make the cake again. If you try it, let me know. This is one I threw together pretty quickly, but it was well received.
Recipe
Chocolate Stout Cake with Malted Chocolate Frosting
Stout in the cake and malt in the frosting make this cake interesting.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter 8 oz/230 grams
- 1 cup Guinness Stout
- ¾ cup Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder or Hershey’s Dark
- 2 cups all purpose flour 260 grams
- 2 cups granulated sugar 390 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
Malted Chocolate Frosting
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup malted milk powder such as Carnation, Ovaltine or Horlick’s
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 2 sticks 8 ounces unsalted, butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with flour-added cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. When butter is almost completely melted, add stout and cook over medium until mixture starts to simmer. Reduce heat slightly, add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. In a second bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored – beat for a full five minutes. Add the sour cream and beat until combined. Add the stout mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until mixed. Add the flour mixture and stir until well mixed.
- Divide the batter equally among the two pans. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until cakes test done (toothpick inserted comes out clean). Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then flip and let cool on a cooling rack. Ice when cool or freeze layers and save until needed.
- Frosting: Melt chocolate and half of the brown sugar together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water or in top of a double boiler. Let cool slightly.
- Stir remaining brown sugar, malted milk powder, cocoa powder and boiling water together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.
- Beat butter in bowl of a standing mixer. When creamy, beat in melted chocolate, followed by malted milk powder mixture. Beat in vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar; beat until it is well mixed.
- Chill mixture for 30 minute to hour or until it is good and cold. Return bowl to stand mixer and beat chilled icing until it becomes light and fluffy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
guinnessgirl says
All guinness is stout and it is draught. Draught is just the form of the pour and has nothing to do with the type of beer - it's similar to "draft" beer if you know what that means.
So go ahead and use that guinness you found to make the cake. try drinking some too.
Sue says
Shoot! I was going to make this with some Guinness my husband found while cleaning out the basement, but now I realize I don't have the right kind. Our Guinness is draught and the recipe calls for stout. Oh well!
Anna says
Jenn, it was chilled.
Jenn says
That cake looks amazing, I can't wait to try it. I was just wondering though if you used room tamperature guinness or if you used it chilled from the fridge when you made this recipe.
Anna says
Hi Christina,
I think the cake would be fine, but watch the cook time. If the cake is thinner, it might cook a little faster.
Christina says
Very cute w/the malt balls! Do you think the cake layers would be too thin if I used 2 9-inch cake pans instead of 2 8-inch pans? Thanks!
kristina says
Great idea with the malt balls. Isn't it so satisfying when you figure out a decorating idea that's so simple but still looks great?
Sharon says
The malt balls make an excellent decoration! I want to take a huge bite of this cake.
Clumbsy Cookie says
Wow, how cute is that? I just love when using simple things we can get such nice results!
Joe says
Wow! Does that chocolate cake look and sound fantastic!
Sue says
Your cake is really attractive! Good job, as always!
RecipeGirl says
It's so cute! I love the maltball decorations. I did a cake during Easter time and I used the colored maltballs for decorations.
Best of luck to your friend...
VeggieGirl says
Best of luck to your friend - my brothers were over there a few years ago, and it's definitely a scary time for family and friends. Hang in there! And what a fabulous cake to bake - yum!
Kelly says
Mmm...that looks like chocolate perfection. And who can go wrong with a little malted milk ball? mmm!
Best wishes to your friend being deployed -- I hope she's home safe soon.