Name: Chocolate Guinness Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Ingredients: 70g unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes; 170g plain/all-purpose flour; 50g cocoa; 2 teaspoons instant coffee; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda; ¼ teaspoon fine salt; 100g caster sugar; 100g light brown sugar; 100g vegetable oil; 2 large eggs; 100g/100ml Guinness; 100g natural yoghurt; 100g chopped chocolate, 70% cocoa solids; 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature; ¼ teaspoon fine salt; 250g icing sugar; 100g mascarpone cheese; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Jump to Recipe

A soft and fluffy sponge cake loaded with Guinness and chunks of dark chocolate! Yes that’s right! Guinness in the form of chocolate cake. The Guinness adds a unique and depth of flavour to the cake which is difficult to identify and explain. It is less sweet than most chocolate cakes, even though a little extra sugar is added to compensate for the slightly bitter taste of the stout. The dark chocolate chunks complement the Guinness and enhances the chocolate flavour as well as a bringing a lovely addition to the texture of the cake.

Topping the cake with a creamy, smooth, silky mascarpone cheese frosting adds a luscious. sweet layer to the cake with the added benefit of making the cake look like just like a pint of Guinness! Perfect as a dessert or treat on St Patrick’s Day. If you want to push the boat out, why not serve it with a Black Velvet – a luxurious drink made from half Guinness and half champagne!

Guinness

Having introduced you to Guinness, our gorgeous dog, yesterday with the Beef and Guinness Pie with Mushrooms, I also had to include a picture of him today with this Chocolate Guinness Cake with Mascarpone Frosting.

How to make Chocolate Guinness Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

The cake recipe is based on my Butter and Oil Cakes – Core Recipe. Guinness is used as the liquid with added sugar to counteract the bitterness from the stout. Cocoa replaces the cornflour and coffee powder and chopped chocolate have been added to enhance the chocolate flavour.

Collect all the ingredients together:

Chocolate Guinness Cake:

unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes
plain/all-purpose flour
cocoa
instant coffee
baking powder
bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
fine salt
caster sugar
light brown sugar
vegetable oil
large eggs
Guinness
natural yoghurt
chopped chocolate, 70% cocoa solids

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting:

unsalted butter, at room temperature
fine salt
icing sugar
mascarpone cheese
vanilla extract

How to make this wonderful cake perfect for St Patrick’s Day!

First make the cake:

Using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, coffee and salt. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour.
Add the remaining ingredients: both sugars
Oil, eggs, vanilla extract, Guinness and yoghurt
Beat with a balloon or electric whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Chop the chocolate into pieces and fold into the cake batter.
The batter is quite liquidy. Pour it into the greased cake tin.
Cook in a preheated oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until cooked. It is cooked when:
- the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.
- a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- when the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cake to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

How to make the mascarpone icing:

Put the butter into the bowl of your electric whisk and beat until light and fluffy.
Add half the icing sugar and fold in.
Beat until very light and fluffy. This can take up to 5 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla extract and finally beat in the mascarpone cheese.
Taste and add more vanilla, if necessary.

NB Fold the icing sugar in with a spoon before whisking – this will help to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!

1 Beat butter and salt until light and fluffy

Top the cake with the icing:

When the cake is cold, top with this delicious frosting.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.