Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Whiskey Frosting
This insanely delicious and totally moist Guinness Chocolate Cake is topped with a thick layer of perfectly sweetened Irish whiskey buttercream frosting. It's made in only one bowl and is totally foolproof. The cake also happens to be vegan – but don't make it (or not make it) because of that. Make it because it's the best chocolate cake ever.
Raise your hand if you want a slice of Guinness chocolate cake! (I see a sea of waving hands from coast to coast.)
That chocolate Guinness cake you see up there isn't any ordinary cake; it's the best dang chocolate cake there ever has been. ← Truth
It's no small claim, but I've had enough votes on it to know for sure it's a winner. It's super rich in flavor, perfectly sweetened, ultra moist, and totally dreamy.
It's also made without eggs and uses oil instead of butter so it's naturally vegan. If you are too, that's awesome! If you're not (like me) then don't let that throw you off. Just make the cake exactly as is and forget all about me telling you it's vegan. Deal
Now that thick layer of Irish Whiskey Frosting, on the other hand. That has delicious salted butter in it. BUT … I've used store-bought vegan margarine in the past when making frosting for vegan friends and it works surprisingly well. If butter is not your thing, pass me all the butter and I'll hand you all the Earth Balance. It'll work great in this recipe.
Also, let's pour a mug of Guinness and cheers to St. Patrick's Day and all the excuses to dig into a giant slice of Guinness Chocolate Cake.
There's an entire tall can of Guinness in that cake batter you see down there. ↓↓ It's what makes the cake crazy moist. The beer also helps bring out the flavor of the chocolate so the cake is extra rich in flavor.
Since Guinness is only ever sold in packs of four cans (at least it is here in Vancouver) then you'll have three more cans to drink. If you can spare one or two of those cans, try this Chocolate Guinness Crock Pot Beef Stew or this Guinness Spiked Irish Chili. Then bake a loaf of this Easy Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread and finish the whole amazing St. Patty's Day-themed meal with this Guinness Chocolate Cake. ☘
More whiskey recipes
If you're a fan of whiskey, try these other whiskey recipes:
One Bowl Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Whiskey Frosting
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
Guinness Chocolate Cake
- 440 ml can of Guinness, 15 ounces
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder, plus a little extra for the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Irish Whiskey Buttercream
- ½ cup softened butter, use vegan, if needed
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Irish whiskey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 11×9 inch baking sheet with butter or coconut oil then sprinkle some cocoa powder over the top. Shake the baking sheet so the cocoa powder covers the butter.
- Pour half the can of Guinness into a small pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Set the pot aside.
- While the Guinness is heating, make the rest of the cake. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, and the remaining Guinness in the can and whisk. Pour the hot Guinness into the bowl and carefully whisk it into the batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, ¾ cup cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup neutral-flavored oil, 2 teaspoons vinegar, ½ cup chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. After 10 minutes, remove the cake from the baking sheet and let it cool completely on a cooling rack. Once it is completely cool, cover it with the frosting.
Irish Whiskey Buttercream
- Place the butter, powdered sugar, and Irish whiskey in a large bowl. Cream together using electric beaters. For a thinner frosting, use more whiskey.½ cup softened butter, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons Irish whiskey
Loved this recipe, very popular and have shared it with many people who have also remade it.
If I wanted to make it gluten-free, what flour would you recommend? or is that gonna take it too far
Gluten-free is a whole other beast! You may be able to use a 1-1 gluten-free baking mix but to be honest, it never seems to turn out quite right for me when I use it in other recipes. If gluten-free is important to you, and you have a reliable 1-1 flour you like, then it’s definitely worth the shot!
Hi there,
This recipe looks amazing and I’m trying it this week! I had one question; when the ingredient listed is chocolate chips- are these milk or dark chocolate?
Thanks!
We used dairy-free dark chocolate as we wanted to make this cake vegan. But either would work just fine!
Hi, what type of vinegar would you use in this recipe?
Just plain white vinegar. 🙂
This recipe was very easy! I made it for our office to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
I used a 9×13 cake pan, baking the cake for 30 minutes exactly and it came out perfectly! The whiskey frosting came together quickly and spread beautifully over top of the cooled cake. I think the frosting amount is perfect for the size of the cake, not too thick and that kick of liquor adds a surprising hit!
That is so wonderful to hear! Thanks, Samantha!
I made this cake for a birthday and it was amazing! So moist and just the right amount of sweetness; everyone loved it. Just a few notes:
– I couldn’t find an 11×9 pan so I used a deep 13×9 instead. I wasn’t sure how deep the pan should be so I just used the deepest one I could find.
– Your pictures show a parchment-lined pan but your instructions don’t say to do that. I greased the pan, lined it and then greased the parchment as well and dusted it with cocoa powder. I wouldn’t try to bake this without a parchment-lined pan.
– I had to bake for a lot longer, 40 minutes I think. That might have just been my oven. The edges were a bit overdone but I just sliced them off to make a neater cake.
– You mention in the write-up that you used salted butter but the actual recipe doesn’t specify salted or unsalted so it would be helpful to have it there as well, since not everyone reads the write-up.
Lastly, I was worried the frosting was too little because I couldn’t cover the cake very neatly but it was actually the perfect amount. Any more would’ve been too sweet. Hopefully others will find these notes helpful. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I’m so happy that the recipe was a hit! I always use parchment in my 11×9 cake pan as it’s old and a little rusty. I should really just buy a new pan lol. But it’s really helpful to know that you found it worked well in your pan, too. Thank you for all the feedback!
Amazing, moist & chocolatey! The frosting compliments the cake perfectly, the only thing I changed was to double the amount of whiskey in the buttercream, but that’s only because my SO preferred a more intense whiskey flavor.
I also loved that it’s eggless, since I’m allergic to eggs.
Thank you for this great recipe 🙂
You are so welcome!
Sorry forgot the rating! Definitely 5 stars!
Awww thank you for coming back to rate them!!
This looks delicious! Do you think this recipe would work as cupcakes?
Absolutely it will! Cupcakes usually bake in about 15-20. 🙂
Thank you! Made them as cupcakes with vegan butter and they turned out amazing!! The cupcakes were so moist and the icing was a perfect compliment. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
That is so great to hear! Hooray!!
This is the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Suoer moist and just plain delicious. And the Irish whiskey icing is to die for! Definetly saving this recipe!
That makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!! (And now you’re making me want a slice lol)
fyi Guinness isn’t actually a vegan stout, because it contains a form of gelatin derived from fish in the making of the beer. But not all stouts include this ingredient (it’s called isinglass) so google “vegan stout” to find ones that are truly vegan. There are many different brands that are 100% vegan. Alas, Guinness, the best known stout, isn’t one of them. But otherwise this is a great, vegan recipe!!
It used to, but it doesn’t anymore. Guinness is now 100% vegan! You can find out more here: https://www.guinness.com/en-ca/faqs/ 🙂
Do you know if the alcohol completely cooks out of this? Wondering about making it for my family, with kids eating too.
Most of the alcohol will evaporate once it’s cooked. From my understanding, a small amount will remain. If you’re concerned about the whiskey in the frosting, you can boil the whiskey first to remove most of the alcohol then cool it before adding it. The flavor will remain the same. My daughter loved this cake! 🙂
I was leery about making this recipe as you put it in the vegan category. How good can a vegan cake be? Turned out amazing. Everyone should make this cake, vegan or not!
Haha I often feel the same! So happy you gave it a shot!
Best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! I didn’t have whiskey for buttercream so I used Guinness and cocoa in it. My co-worker loves chocolate cake with chocolate frosting so I made it for his birthday and he loved it and was shocked it’s vegan. My vegan co-worker loved it too. I can’t wait to make it again for my best friend’s anniversary on Friday and my brother’s birthday Saturday.
That makes me so happy to hear! It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it? And happy anniversary to your friend and happy birthday to your brother!
I’m not sure here. I just made this cake as written but I’m not sure I handled the cocoa powder correctly. I sprinkled ‘some cocoa powder in the buttered pan but then it was never mentioned again. Was I to use all the powder or some? Was I supposed to put the rest in the batter??? Don’t know how it’ll come out yet. I have 22 minuets to go.
Hi Mary,
I’m so sorry that was unclear. The cocoa powder was supposed to into the cake batter. The little extra was for the pan so the cake doesn’t stick to the pan. Often recipes will use flour for the pan, but I like cocoa powder for chocolate cake as it keeps the color of the cake nice and dark.
Did any go into the batter?
If I make this with a gluten-free flour blend, would I omit the baking soda or powder?
If your flour blend has a leavening agent then you can make it without. Otherwise make sure to add it!
Could you please tell me what 440 ml can Guinness is. I have never heard of it before. Is that a brand? Thanks, Dora
Guinness is the brand of beer. You’ll want their tall can (440ml) of Guinness Draught for this recipe.