With Guinness® and Irish Cream, so rich and decadent, a delicious Irish treat for St. Patty's Day or any time of year!
Who'd ever guess that a recipe for chocolate cake that uses Guinness would turn out to be the best darned chocolate cake I've ever tasted?? Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? From here on, I'm going to keep a bottle of Guinness in the fridge, and I detest beer of any kind! This is now my go-to chocolate cake recipe. And that's no faint praise, coming from a pastry chef of many years! The stout really complements and rounds out the flavor of the chocolate, plus lends a lovely reddish hue. You never taste it, but it's there, lending its incomparable support to the star of the show (chocolate.) This cake is blow-your-socks-off good, incomparably moist with a very fine, tender crumb. I spiked the ganache with a Tb of Jameson's Irish Whiskey. I cut the centers out of each cupcake (mmmm...chocolate cake scraps to eat!) and filled the holes with the ganache, opting to use it as a filling rather than as a drizzle. I doubled the amount of Irish Cream in the frosting, as well. Served to ooohs, aaahs, moans, groans, swoons, and general paroxysms of pleasure.
Read MoreI thought this was a fairly easy recipe to follow but I skipped the chocolate drizzle part to save time. I'm not sure why but my cake was a bit dry which puzzled me....I will make this again and give it another shot because what's not to like about chocolate and Guinness and Bailey's? LOL
Read More Who'd ever guess that a recipe for chocolate cake that uses Guinness would turn out to be the best darned chocolate cake I've ever tasted?? Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? From here on, I'm going to keep a bottle of Guinness in the fridge, and I detest beer of any kind! This is now my go-to chocolate cake recipe. And that's no faint praise, coming from a pastry chef of many years! The stout really complements and rounds out the flavor of the chocolate, plus lends a lovely reddish hue. You never taste it, but it's there, lending its incomparable support to the star of the show (chocolate.) This cake is blow-your-socks-off good, incomparably moist with a very fine, tender crumb. I spiked the ganache with a Tb of Jameson's Irish Whiskey. I cut the centers out of each cupcake (mmmm...chocolate cake scraps to eat!) and filled the holes with the ganache, opting to use it as a filling rather than as a drizzle. I doubled the amount of Irish Cream in the frosting, as well. Served to ooohs, aaahs, moans, groans, swoons, and general paroxysms of pleasure.
I made this recipe into cupcakes and it was great. I filled each cupcake with the Bailey's buttercream and topped each with the chocolate ganache. They were a big hit!
I served this at a St. Patty's Day party and it was a HUGE hit!! Instead of using 2 9-inch cake pans, I used 2 8-9 inch square glass pans and it came out just right after 30 mins. Also, instead of stacking the cakes, I frosted them separately and severed them as 2 cakes. It went further and the pieces were big enough. (Both cakes feed 20-24 people). If you are going to make 2 cakes, make extra frosting. I doubled the frosting recipes and had left overs. I added more Bailey's to the white frosting since the recipe was a little too thick to spread. At the end of the evening, everyone requested a copy of the recipe. THAT'S how I know it was good.
OMG! This is the best chocolate cake i have ever made or tasted. and it is easy. i modified the frosting to sub 3/4 cup cocoa for 1 cup of the powdered sugar. this made a great chocolate baileys buttercream. when making as a whole cake, i skipped the ganache (the last part of the ingredients list) delicious without it!
Good Flavor, Easy Preparation. The frosting needed to be spread a little thin to cover 2 layers and sides. But there was plenty of chocolate drizzle to have easily covered both layers. We preferred the texture and flavor of a room temperature slice vs. a refrigerated slice that had been served. Next time we plan to make more of the frosting, as there will definitely be many more next times. Don't forget to stir the flour/sugar mixture before adding the stout mix as it helps to prevent flour lumps in your batter. Happy Baking : )
Delicious! I did bake this in a 9"x13" baking pan and left it in the pan. Cooled it, then frosted and ganached it. Turned out perfect and went to my son's business for St. Patrick's Day. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe.
This is a great recipe; very easy to make and delicious! I followed the recipe to the letter and it came out perfectly - DO BE SURE TO LINE YOUR BAKING PANS WITH PARCHMENT PAPER! In my enthusiasm, I forgot to line mine, and getting the cakes out in one piece was pretty tough. I would also suggest refrigerating the cake first - I didn't, and the crumbs came off into the frosting, which doesn't make for the best presentation. It also took EXACTLY thirty minutes for the cakes to bake - be sure to keep an eye on them, particularly if you have a temperamental oven, as I do. Happy Baking!
Excellent! I lost my original recipe for a chocolate stout cake, and this one was the closest I could find to what I (mostly) remembered from my old recipe. I found the addition of the drizzled chocolate at the end to be unnecessary, as the frosting was the perfect compliment to the cake. To Kryssi_Bee who had an issue with the cake falling apart-it may have been your altitude/humidity affecting the ingredients & cook time. I've made this specific recipe twice now, and found that plenty of parchment paper (more than you really think you'll need), a good douse of cooking spray, and, allowing the cake to cool in the pans *on* the wire rack is the best way to keep it all together. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Its rare that I review anything, but this one deserves it. When I made the cake itself, I accidentally left out half of the butter. It didn't need it as it came out awesome. As for the ganache topping, my friend, and professional pastry chef and baker, suggested using Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips rather than going through the hassle of chopping up bar chocolate. Lets say that it works like a champ. Great recipe. This will be a repeat.
Very good, big hit at work! I used a bundt pan, cooked it about an hour, and made my own Irish Cream/Whiskey glaze rather than a full-blown frosting - and it was yummy! Pic posted.
I made this recipe as cupcakes (24 in total) and they were AMAZING!! I don't even like beer but it gave the cake a wonderful flavor. I filled the cupcakes with the chocolate drizzle and topped with the frosting. The frosting was too thick for me to pipe onto the cupcakes so I folded in some fresh whipped cream. As cupcakes, the cooking time was 20 minutes. What a great recipe...thanks so much!!
I had someone request guinness cake so I tried this recipe and loooove it. Definitely keeping this one. I made it into cupcakes since people seem to dismiss the guilt of indulging in sugary sin when it's served in paper cups. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the recipe was easily enough for 24 cupcakes. I personally don't care for frosting much so for me the two seemed a little much. I followed the suggestion of a another brilliant review and substituted 1 c powdered sugar for 3/4 c. Cocoa powder for the frosting and skipped the ganache/drizzle/whatever that stuff was. It was awesome! Although I ended up doubling it added a couple tablespoons of whipped cream, just enough to bring it to a lighter consistency for piping. I checked them after 15 mins and took them out shortly after. As cupcakes, they DO NOT need 30 mins! These changes made these little guys scrumptious and exactly what I was looking for (but the original recipe is great as it is). Thank you so much for sharing!
I remade this cake and put up a picture. I didn't follow the instructions completely, hence the oversweetness the first time. However if you follow the instructions to the LETTER, this is the BEST chocolate cake my family has ever eaten. I don't use the parchment paper, but I used a flour based cooking spray (works and doesn't stick).
10 stars! perfect cake, indeed! you must have it at room temeprature to really taste the perfection. I made it with an irish cream cheese frosting and covered it in chocolate ganache. I made two a week ago and I am making another one today for my son's birthday. He's turning 5 and he never ate cake(he was never interested ) until last week, after I made this cake. And he loved it!
I used this recipe to make "carbomb cupcakes". The recipe as is was very good before my changes but the comments that follow are basically a how-to on this variation... Followed the measurements for the cake (added tsp vanilla) which produced two dozen cupcakes. Doubled the buttercream with Irish cream liqueur (adding about 7 TBSP in all). Next time I would use 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening since I prefer that combination. I added 2 TBSP of Jameson whiskey to the bittersweet ganache (reduced heavy cream by 2 TBSP to compensate). I was using the ganache just to drizzle on top of the frosting and had lots leftover. Next time I would half or quarter the ganache recipe. This time around I froze my leftovers. Also, the bittersweet was a nice balance to the sweet buttercream however you could not taste the Jameson. I intentionally added the whiskey at the end so it would not cook off. I think a better alternative would be to create a simple syrup out of the whiskey and drizzle that separately alongside the ganache. All in all I was very pleased with my initial results. The cake was very moist and rich with a dark flavor. Samplers couldn't detect the alcohol but very much enjoyed these treats. I'll be making again soon for a party and make work on a way to bring out more of the cocktail essence. Thank you Jowolf2 for sharing this great recipe!
I thought this was a fairly easy recipe to follow but I skipped the chocolate drizzle part to save time. I'm not sure why but my cake was a bit dry which puzzled me....I will make this again and give it another shot because what's not to like about chocolate and Guinness and Bailey's? LOL
I did this cake for an early St Patrick's day lunch and it went down a treat. I was a bit dubious that it would cook through when I saw how runny the mixture was but it produced a beautifully risen but very sticky cake. I don't like butter icing so I filled it with whipped cream mixed with melted chocolate and a little Baileys, trimmed the edge with vermicelli and topped it with confectioners sugar (with a shamrock motif). It was delish and we will be having it again.
The best way to describe this cake? HMMM.... when you cut a piece of this you cannot use the word "slice". The only way to describe it is a "slab". The Guinness really adds a unique flavor to it and it is not overly sweet. It was moist, rich and dense. I may have added more Bailey's to the frosting than was called for, but I really like Bailey's :-). The amount of bittersweet chocolate needed is equal to 2 candy bars, but I ended up halving that and it was enough for me. I have never made a scratch cake because I was always a little intimidated by the recipes. But although it can look rather daunting it was really pretty easy, and I think even a beginner could make this.
This is the second year I have made these. They were a hit last year but I did not fill them with the ganache. This year I did and took dessert to a friends house last night, they ooed and awed over them. Rave reviews. I am serving them today after our corned beef and cabbabe with family. They are not a "quick" dessert to make but well worth the time.
Ohmygodsorich! Absolutely delicious, though. The only part I had issues with was the chocolate sauce at the end. It was really oily for some reason. It worked, though.
This cake is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. The only issue I had was that I did not let my cakes cool long enough before trying to stack and frost them...totally my fault. It didn't matter because everyone loved it. I recommend cutting small slices because this is a rich cake. The irish cream frosting is hard to stop "sampling" so consider yourself warned :)
I loved the cake, but I'm only rating it four stars because the amount of frosting as written is hardly enough to cover both cakes. Double the frosting and it's a 5-star recipe. I used more Baileys than the recipe calls for, but that's just a personal preference. Also, I ended up having to use half bittersweet chocolate and half semisweet on the ganache because that's what I had on hand. I would recommend doing this; that way the ganache is slightly sweet and not bitter. For those who said they skipped the ganache - you're missing out!
Wow, this was great! We preferred ours the next day after it sat in the refrigerator overnight. I did double the frosting since I planned to make 2 cakes instead of one cake with 2 layers but then I had leftovers (not necessarily a bad thing). I would recommend 1 1/2 recipes; this would be enough to easily cover both cakes but not have a lot left over. The cake was very moist and absolutely delicious! I will be making this again!
The family enjoyed this cake, so I'll make it again. I followed the recipe, except for when I made the frosting, I was concerned it wasn't enough. So I added another cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of butter and 2 TBS of heavy cream to the frosting mixture and it turned out fine. Oh...and the ganache...I only had four oz of bittersweet chocolate so I mixed it with the same amount of butter and heavy cream and it turned out fine. (with a lot left over for some other sweet thing)
Follow the directions exactly and you will have the perfect, decadent chocolate cake ever! It was my birthday cake, which was, you guessed it, on St. Patrick's Day! Even if we are not celebrating St. Patrick's Day this will be a favorite of my family for a long time.
I made this for y girlfriend's birthday party and it was a big hit. I increased the frosting recipe by 1 1/2 to frost middle, top and sides and that was the perfect amount. I will cut the ganache recipe in half next time.
This cake was awesome! I used chocolate fudge icing since I didn't have Bailey's on hand, but I definitely want to make the icing next time!
I made this cake but used the frosting from another Guinness cake recipe on here because I wanted chocolate frosting. Cake was very tasty and moist. Unfortunately, I didn't have parchment paper so I used crisco and flour on the pans, they stuck and fell apart. Cake is very crumbly.
This cake was a little too boozy. It's probably good for St. Patrick's day but not for just any time of the year. People didn't understand why I put Bailey's in the icing. It's true though. Why can't chocolate cake just be chocolate cake? And leave the booze for drinking. I have a chocolate cake recipe from Ina Garten that I prefer to this one so I won't be making this again.
Awesome St. Patty's cake! Didn't feel like buying a lot of Irish Cream liqueur so I just bought the Bailey's Irish cream coffee creamer and used 3 T of that--perfecto! I did make extra icing and was glad I did--helped the look of the cake.
I wish I had taken pictures of this cake! I made this for my favorite bartender's birthday this past year who's also very proud of his Irish heritage. It looked amazing, and when the cake was divided up to all the regulars at our bar - everyone agreed it tasted phenomenal! I can now no longer go into my favorite bar without being asked when I'll be baking my next cake! In fact, the husband just asked what I was doing - I told him I was reviewing this cake real quick and he asked me when I'm making it again! A lot of work, but so worth the effort.
Really delicious, half the people who ate it wanted the recipe! All I had was the mint bailey's, but it worked great - everyone enjoyed the slight hint of mint, and it went well with the St. patty's theme. Will definitely make again! The only change I made was to make a lot more frosting - twice as much, actually, which just covered my double layer round cake. And on the same note, there was twice as much chocolate mixture as needed!
I made this cake for St Patrick's Day this year and loved it! I'm brand new at this baking thing (I usually just do betty crocker boxed cakes), but I thought this recipe was very easy to follow! I took the cake to work and everyone was so impressed! One thing I wouldn't recommend though - I tried putting a little green food coloring into the Bailey's frosting to make it more festive...and a lot of people were skeptical to eat it because they thought it was mint flavored. (I guess a lot of people don't care for that :P) When I make it again, i'll just leave all the colors alone!
I usually glaze this cake simply with powdered sugar and water but I’ve also used the ganache a couple of times. Alternately, I couldn’t use real Baileys once so I subbed the Baileys flavored creamer and it worked perfectly!
Wow. This was my first time ever making a cake from scratch and it turned out excellent! The recipe is really easy to follow. The one thing I would do differently is perhaps make the chocolate sauce a little soupier so it really "drizzled" or else maybe even skip it. The Baileys frosting is already so rich and yummy. Parchmont paper is key because the cake is so moist it is really sticky. Great recipe!!
A chocoholic heaven. Should have made more Irish cream frosting. I added cream to frosting to alter the consistency a little. Chocolate ganache is to delicious. Next time will cut 8" cakes I'm half to make 4 layers.
This cake is wonderful. Next time I would make a double batch of the icing, it is so good. And half of the chocolate to drizzle over for decoration. If I made cupcakes, I would fill with the icing mixture, lightly ice the tops, then drizzle chocolate over the top.
I found the chocolate cake moist, decadent and delicious...I added two tablespoons more of the Baileys and fell in love with the flavor, but, I will cut the chocolate in half for the top and just drizzle it onto in a pattern, perhaps a spider web..so much chocolate took away from the flavor of the cake itself and also that yummy icing..easy to make and delicious
WOW OH WOW!!!! Best chocolate cake EVER!!! So moist and decadent. Even non-Guinness-lovers will love the subtle complexity it gives to the chocolate. I will NOT be waiting until St. Patty's to make this one again!
Wow!! Such a beautiful and flavorful cake! The flavor of the Guinness in the chocolate cake was VERY nice; added a noticable complex taste in every bite, yet not too overpowering or boozey. The Irish cream icing is very sweet, so the bittersweet drizzle is a good balance in taste. (I put the chocolate drizzle in a ziploc bag and piped it out. Gave more control over the look, I thought) Very decadent cake! All who had it loved it and I will certainly make this again and again...maybe cupcakes next time? Only one piece left...trying to savor it!
Absolutely delish! I made this cake with a green fondant instead of the drizzle. RAVE reviews from co-workers!!! Many commented that the chocolate cake tastes like a hostess cupcake. YUM!!! Thanks for sharing!
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 just because of the frosting. What is listed is definitely not enough for a layer cake. I made a batch and a half and even that was barely enough. Next time I will make a double batch and there will be a next time because it was fabulous! One other thing I will do differently next time is making the ganache. Instead of heating the cream and pouring over the chocolate, I will melt it all together in a double boiler because not all of my chocolate melted. Put your frosted cake in the fridge while the ganache is cooling. I drizzled the ganache in a pattern over the top of the cake because I don't like it too thick and overpowering. For the frosting, I used the amount of Bailey's that it called for but found that it needed more liquid so I alternated adding more Bailey's with milk. It was perfect.
Just made this cake for my daughter's 19th birthday. Everyone loved it! I have made cake with beer before, but had never used Bailey's. Wow! That really made the cake wonderful. I did the old fashioned thing and used crisco and flour for the pans and the cakes came out with any sticking. Cooked exactly 30 minutes and cooled for 5 minutes before removing from pans. I used a good amount of the frosting in the center of the cake, so I could only cover the top and down 1/2 the sides. If you want to cover the whole cake, cut back on the center filling or make 1 1/2 recipe. I also had a ton of ganache left over (which I won't complain about) but you could cut that part down if you wanted. We are defnitiely going to make again, but I think we will try what others suggested and make the cupcakes. In theory, that will keep us from eating such a huge piece of cake!
I made this for a St. Paddy's day party and it was a hit. I followed the recipe and directions for the cake as written, and it came out moist, light and tender, with a rich chocolate flavor. I would reduce baking time by 5 minutes due to the cake developing a bit of a crust on the edges. I trimmed it, which made icing a bit more challenging due to crumbs. Speaking of crumbs- If presentation is important to you, I'd recommend making extra frosting for a crumbcoat prior to the final icing of the cake. The Bailey's frosting is excellent- I used the Hazelnut flavor of bailey's and it was scrumptious.
Made this cake for my St. Paddy's Day Birthday and everyone loved it. Husband says it's one of the best I've ever made. I followed the directions as posted and it turned out perfect. No problems removing or frosting the cakes as some mentioned. Put wax paper in the bottom of each pan, sprayed liberally with Pam, let cool 5 min. out of the oven, and cakes popped out perfectly. Cooled a bit longer and frosted nicely with no crumbling. May have cooled the chocolate a bit too long before frosting as mine didn't drip down the sides much but didn't matter. For those who thought the chocolate was too sweet, it may be from using the wrong kind. I used Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate, 2 4oz. bars, and it was the perfect balance with the sweet Irish Creme filling.
Everyone loved this cake. It didn't come out as expected but was delicious. The cake came out a little dry in my opinion so next time I'll will bake for less the the recommended time for my oven. Also my chocolate drizzle came out to thick to drizzle so I used as frosting came very rich and tasty.
I'm not a fan of chocolate cake or Guinness, but you mix the two and it's fantastic! The beer cuts the bitterness of the chocolate and mellows it. The frosting wasn't really my cup of tea. I think I'm going to modify a chocolate frosting for the next time I make this. Overall though, this recipe is definitely going to be my "go to" for chocolate cake.
This cake is delicious and not hard to make - perfect ending to our St. Patty's Dinner - Deb M
Might be the best cake ever haha and way easier to make than I thought it would be!! Almost half my office asked for the recipe...
This cake was amazing! Very moist with great chocolate flavor. I used the entire 8oz of sour cream by mistake, but the cake was moist and delicious and firm so it wasn't a problem. I also used extra baileys in the frosting for a better spreading consistency. I highly recommend this recipe!
It wasn't the best chocolate cake but still a very good cake...chocolaty with a hit of earthy tones from the Guinness. It was easy to make and came out tasty. I used 6 tblsp. of Baileys in the frosting but otherwise followed the recipe as is. Everyone at the St. Pats party seemed to enjoy the cake.
this cake was amazing and was a big hit at the st. patrick's day party i brought it to. the only mixed reviews i got from people were some weren't fond of the irish cream frosting in between the cakes-it was too liquor-y for them. i would definitely re-make this cake again, maybe substituting the irish cream frosting with the chocolate one instead
The very BEST chocolate (or any flavor for that matter) cake ever! Why save it just for St. Patty's Day? Even my husband, who is not a choc cake fan, loved it! Be ready for a rich & decadant treat that you will be craving for every day! This has replaced amaretto cake as our new family favorite!
It was perfect for St.Patric's Day!! I reduced a bit of sugar and it turned to be awesome!! Thank you!!
Really good! I followed the directions, though I needed 4T of irish cream to get the frosting smooth enough. I brought it to work this morning and have gotten so many compliments on how it looks AND tastes! You taste the hint of stout and irish cream, but it is in no way boozy. Also, it is very moist, without being too heavy. Awesome recipe!
Made this cake for st pattys day and even thou my famiily are not big sweet eaters they devoured it. Since there were only a few of us I made half the recipe and baked it in a 8X9 square pan. I eliminated the whipped cream topping and frosted it with the Baileys frosting. This is one of the best cakes I have ever had and just perfect for St Patricks Day! Will definately make this again. Thanks for the recipe
Made this for work yesterday and everyone went wild! It was gone in seconds and I had many requests for recipes. I was out of Bailey's so I used a Carmel Mocha Liquer instead and added a drizzle of caramel syrup across the top (the squeeze stuff you get at Starbucks!). YUM YUM!
I made this recipe into cupcakes and goodness they were SO good! I dipped the tops of each cupcake in the ganache and let it dry for a bit before icing them. I used 3 T. Bailey's plus 1 T. water for the icing. I don't really like butter icing so I did half butter and half shortening. Everyone raved about these and I have already been asked to make them again! Thanks for sharing!
LOVED IT! Brought this cake to a family party and had almost none left afterward. Everyone was very impressed. My only complaint was the instruction to line the pans with parchment paper. This made my cakes quite misshapen. Next time, no parchment paper - but that's the only thing I'll change!! Sure to make again.
This is by far the BEST cake I have ever made and I've made my fair share of cakes!! You MUST try it!!
This was the first recipe I've found on this site where all the reviews said to follow the recipe *To The Letter* and it'll come out perfect. So I did. I've gone over and over the steps and I'm absolutely certain that I very carefully followed all the directions. No substitutions, no shortcuts. And this cake fell apart when I took it out of the pans and all but disintegrated when I tried to frost it. I'm so disappointed in thus recipe.
This cake was amazingly delicious!! It was time consuming but so worth it!! My Mother in law who doesn’t usually like chocolate cake said it was “to die for”!! It was certainly delicious. Everyone at the party said it was outstanding. Just give yourself enough time.
This is definitely decadent....so rich your teeth hurt but very good. I think the chocolate is definitely needed to curb the very rich white frosting. My cake was moist and yummy too.
Awesome cake! I made this recipe, exactly as written, to top off my St. Paddy's day menu. The chocolate cake, in my opinion, is absolutely perfect! I will probably use this recipe in the future either with or without the Bailey's frosting. Speaking of the frosting... I followed the directions and topped each layer cake with the frosting and then poured the chocolate ganache over the top of it all. Overall, this was a fantastic cake, but unnecessarily overly sweet. Next time I will only put the frosting in between the two layers and just the ganache over the top. I also had a problem getting the ganache to a good "pouring" consistency as written so I'll have to re-evaluate that part of the recipe the next time I make it - and there will be a next time :)
This cake was spectacular. Very moist and had a rich chocolate flavor. I used a high quality cocoa powder called Valrhona. I followed the cake recipe exactly, however only baked for 23 minutes on the convection setting. Instead of the Bailey's icing I used the "Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting" from this site. Rave reviews. This will be my go to chocolate cake from now on.
The cake crumbled when cut, giving it a dry appearance although the cake itself wasn't dry. Not sure what I did wrong with that, but the flavors were very good.
Great cake but it ended up way too sweet...less icing (maybe just single layer next time) and half the chocolate sauce made with half the chocolate
These are pretty good. Moist but there are several other chocolate cake recipes that are so much better. Did not use choc. glaze, made 22 cupcakes.
I wish I had taken pictures of this cake! I made this for my favorite bartender's birthday this past year who's also very proud of his Irish heritage. It looked amazing, and when the cake was divided up to all the regulars at our bar - everyone agreed it tasted phenomenal! I can now no longer go into my favorite bar without being asked when I'll be baking my next cake! In fact, the husband just asked what I was doing - I told him I was reviewing this cake real quick and he asked me when I'm making it again! A lot of work, but so worth the effort.
Made the recipe according to instructions, except for the white sugar. Supreme!
It is the best chocolate cake ever. Every time I make it, people ask me for this recipe.
I made this cake for St. Patrick's Day & it was a spectacular finish to our corned beef, cabbage & red potato dinner. The cake is moist, rich & decadent & was marvelously chocolate. I also followed the recipe as is & did not make any changes or substitutions. I will definitely save this recipe & make it again for another special occasion.
I am in love with this cake, it is a five star cake, I gave it four stars due to the instructions. I am not proficient in my baking skills and this was my first attempt at a butter cream. The instructions and the video do not provide less experienced cooks with enough information. When you get to the frosting you MUST beat the stew out of that butter, like five minutes, until it is fluffy, pale and nearly doubles in volume due to the air you are adding. Only after you reach this consistency should you start adding in your powdered sugar at little at a time. Finally you will notice it is getting stiff, this is when you add the Irish cream. DO NOT DO WHAT I DID AND ADD IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I was nearly in tears, mine was more of a pasty crust. Don't get me wrong, the taste is absolutely spot on, but the consistency was off-putting. As with many other reviewers, I cut the ganache recipe in half and had plenty. I used three 8" pans and baked at 350 for 20-22 minutes. The cake was consumed in a matter of minutes and the taste reviews were outstanding. I will make this again, using the additional instructions above, again and again. Thank you for the submission!!!
Made it twice! Added an additional 1/4 cup flour the second time for a more firm cake. Also substituted vegan substitutes for egg and dairy. Vegan and non-vegans loved it.
the cake was very moist and delicious . I read the reviews and decided to double the icing and I added...too much Baileys. I used about 8 tablespoons and it would have been better with less so you could taste the butter cream as well. My biggest disappointment was when I realized the photo was a triple layer cake and the cake batter was only enough for a double. I love the presentation of a triple and when taking it to a dinner party as I was this Patty's day I would do that. It was too late to change it when I realized the photo didn't match the cake. Others commented on the too much ganache and I have to agree with that as well it is a very rich cake indeed, yummy but needs allot less ganache than the recipe makes you can cut this in 1/2 or omit it all together and it is still a very good cake. I will make it again and double the batter make it three and less baileys and less ganache and it will better fit my needs. Thank you for the recipe ! And happy St. Patty's Day to you1
Inadvertently I added the whole bottle of Guinness (11 oz) instead of the 2/3 cup, but it did not affect the cake. It was moist. The folks who ate it, enjoyed it immensely. I’ll make it again.
I didn’t make any changes. I made this for my husband to take to work. I got outstanding!, Amazing!, unbelievable! So many great compliments, I’m going to make it again and try it myself !
Happy St. Patrick's Day to me! This was a great cake! I melted my butter in the microwave then whisked in the beer (then zapped it for a couple more seconds) instead of melting in a saucepan - faster, I think. I also chose not to make the chocolate drizzle...thought it would be a bit too sweet for my taste. Just with the butter frosting its fantastic! Next time I will double the butter frosting - or at least 1 1/2 times. As is it barely covered the cake (guess if I would have done the chocolate drizzle it would have been enough). At any rate! GREAT! Thanks for posting it for us!
Yummy, yummy, yummy! Without a doubt, the best chocolate cake I've ever had! Did add almost double Irish cream. Added a mild flavor. Otherwise, followed recipe. Had for breakfast on St. Patty's. What a way to start the day!! Will definitely make again .
Love this! Will make this a St Patrick's Day Tradition. The only mistake I may have made was over mixing it, but it was still great.
This is a fabulous cake! I baked it for a monthly dinner donation for the Fisher House (like Ronald Mcdonald house for our Military families). Rave reviews. Next time it’s for us
I love, love this recipe. I'm a diabetic, so I did have to make some substitutions. I used Truvia Baking blend for the sugar and a cup of plain yogurt for the sour cream, but I kept everything else the same. It is so moist and full of flavor I had to have 2 pieces. I will be making this again, and I won't wait until next St. Patrick's Day
I substituted gluten-free flour and the cake turned out fabulous! A cup of joe and a slice of this will put you right. Mmmm...
Moist and chocolaty. Probably the best chocolate cake I have made ever. Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again.
Made cake per recipe. Wonderful moist and not too rich. Used Wilton buttercream icing and added Bailey's. Will make this again and again.
I went the extra mile with the Irish and used Kerrygold Butter, and I dyed the frosting green for St. Patrick’s Day
I made it per the recipe. It was SO decadent and delicious! The only thing you have to be careful of is the top layer sliding off. It turned into a mess for me, but the taste was fantastic.
Turned out wonderful! This brownie textured moist cake is officially a family favorite.
I made these into cupcakes and baked them for 15 minutes. Everyone enjoyed these! The only changes I made was to add extra Baileys, butter, and confectioners sugar (I knew that wouldn’t make enough icing. This is my new go to dessert for St. Patrick’s Day!
Amazing cake! OMG. Made it for St. Patrick's Day & me/my family & guests loved it. I added green food coloring to frosting & left out chocolate ganache cause I ran out of time. Also, I used bunt cake pan vs. 2 rounds like recipie suggested. Just extended bake time to 55min total. Came out delicious. I cut cake in half after cooling to create a middle layer. It really needed to set in fridge before cutting cause it was a bear to cut. Layers slid everywhere trying to serve & looked a mess by it tasted delicious! Great recipie overall. Next time if I use bunt pan I'll leave the cake whole. Also, recipie calls for 3 cups of confectioners sugar; WAY too much!!! Reduce by 1 cup minimum... With Iridh Cream Liquor it comes out WAY Too Sweet. I had to add another half cup of butter to balance out. Like I said though, fantastic recipie. Cake was moist & yummy with hint of Guiness Beer. Mmm. I will definitely try this again.
It was ok...way too dry
