• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Biscuits & Cookies
    • Bread & Scones
      • Scones
      • Savoury bread
      • Sweet bread
    • Cake
      • Loaf Cakes
      • Swiss Roll
    • Cheesecake
    • Christmas
    • Cupcakes
      • Muffins
    • Desserts
      • Donuts
      • Fudge
      • Meringue
      • Pancakes
      • Truffles
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Sweet Tarts & Pies
    • Traybakes
      • Blondies
      • Brownies
      • Millionaire's Shortbread
      • Rocky Road
    • Valentine's Day
    • Vegan
  • Leftovers
    • Black Treacle
    • Christmas Leftovers
    • Egg Yolks
    • Jam
    • Marzipan
    • Ripe Bananas
    • Semolina
    • Stem Ginger
    • Wholemeal Flour
    • Zested Citrus Fruit
  • Conversions
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
The Baking Explorer
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Conversions
  • Leftover Ingredients
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream

    28/06/2013 by thebakingexplorer 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I made this Chocolate Guinness Cake for the first time on St. Patrick's Day. It was so yummy that it I knew I would be making it again and again. I've now made it countless times! This Chocolate Guinness Cake has the perfect light and moist chocolate sponge, and the Baileys buttercream is to die for! I could swim in a vat of the stuff! This would go in my top five favourite cakes of all time without a doubt, and I always want it as my birthday cake every year without fail. Best of all, it's so easy to make and decorate. I've made a stencil with the harp logo to decorate the cake, but of course you don't have to do this, that's just me being extra!

    Chocolate Guinness Cake

    I love this Chocolate Guinness Cake so much! It just has everything I want from a cake. My friends and family love it too, it is my most requested cake and everyone gets so excited when I make it, including me!

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    How to make Chocolate Guinness Cake

    In a mixing bowl, whisk the dark brown sugar and vegetable oil together. Then whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and the Guinness.

    In a separate bowl, measure out the self raising flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add it to the mixture bit by bit and whisk in. Finally mix in the melted dark choolate.

    Pour the mixture into a lined and greased deep 8" cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes. To make the Baileys buttercream, mix together the butter, icing sugar and Baileys irish cream. Try not to eat it all before you put it on the cake!

    To make my stencil decoration I traced an image of the harp logo from my laptop onto paper, stuck it onto a piece of card, then used a craft knife to cut it out. I held the cardboard over the cake and sprinkled cocoa powder over it. I recommend using a circular piece of cardboard that is bigger than the cake as I often sprinkle over the sides of the stencil by accident - sadly I didn't have the foresight to make it circular!

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream

    Can this cake be made in a different size cake tin?

    Yes! If you would like to make this cake in a different size tin, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe.


    Can this cake be made with two layers?

    Yes! Double the recipe for both the cake and the buttercream to create two lovely layers of this cake.

    How should the cake be stored and can it be frozen?

    The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3 days in a cool place. You can freeze the sponge either alone, or decorated. Once the sponge is fully cool, wrap it well with cling film or put it in an airtight container. You can freeze the buttercream on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled. To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.

    Chocolate Guinness Cake with a slice on a small plate

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    • 8" cake tins
    • Mixing bowls
    • Cooling rack
    • Kitchen scales
    • Baileys Irish Cream
    • Round cake tin liners

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Close up of a slice of Chocolate Guinness Cake

    More Baileys recipes...

    • Chocolate Roulade with Baileys Cream
    • Baileys Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies
      Baileys Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies
    • Baileys Cheesecake (No Bake)
    • Baileys Chocolate Traybake Cake
    • Baileys Creme Caramel
    • Baileys Chocolate Cupcakes
    • Baileys Ice Cream
      Baileys Ice Cream (No Churn)

    More recipes using Guinness...

    • Guinness Chocolate Brownies
      Guinness Chocolate Brownies
    • Gingerbread Bonfire Cake
      Gingerbread Bonfire Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
    Slice of Chocolate Guinness Cake
    Close up of a slice of Chocolate Guinness Cake

    Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream

    Rich chocolate guinness cake with baileys infused buttercream
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: European
    Keyword: Cake
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 12
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the sponge

    • 75 g Dark chocolate melted
    • 125 g Dark brown sugar
    • 85 g Vegetable oil
    • 1 Egg large
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • 150 ml Guinness
    • 175 g Self raising flour
    • 25 g Cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
    • ¼ tsp Salt

    For the buttercream

    • 65 g Butter
    • 170 g Icing sugar
    • 2-3 tbsp Baileys

    For decoration (optional)

    • 1 tbsp Cocoa powder
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat your oven to 150C Fan/160C/325F/Gas Mark 3, grease and line a deep 8" tin (make sure the sides of the tin are at least 2" tall)
    • Melt the chocolate first. Place in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stir, then heat in 10 second intervals, stirring between each one. Once fully melted, set aside to cool.
    • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and dark brown sugar
    • Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk in
    • Add the Guinness bit by bit, mixing well after each addition, don't worry if it curdles a bit
    • Measure the self raising flour, cocoa powder salt and bicarbonate of soda out in a separate bowl and add into the mix bit by bit, mixing well after each addition
    • Finally, stir in the dark chocolate
    • Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
    • Leave it to cool fully on a wire rack
    • To make the Baileys buttercream mix together the butter and the icing sugar. When it starts to come together, add the Baileys and mix until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can add some more Baileys to it!
    • Smooth the buttercream on top of the cake using a palette knife and decorate as you wish
    • Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Cake recipes!

    NB. This post is NOT sponsored by Guinness or Baileys - I just love baking with them!

    « Lemon & Blueberry Loaf Cake
    Nutella Stuffed Cookies »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elizabeth

      June 28, 2013 at 9:23 am

      Oh yummy! This sounds absolutely delicious! Love the decoration on the top!

      Reply
      • Kat Buckley

        June 28, 2013 at 9:40 am

        Thank you! I didn't know how to decorate it as the cake itself is so fab, the first time I just sprinkled some green nonpareils on top but it did nothing for it.

        Reply
    2. Amy Gallagher

      June 28, 2013 at 9:27 am

      Oh wow, get you with the logo on top. This looks divine, I love Guinness cake

      Reply
      • Kat Buckley

        June 28, 2013 at 9:43 am

        Thanks Amy! Definitely going to make more stencils in future as I love the effect!

        Reply
    3. Sarah Barnes

      June 28, 2013 at 9:50 am

      This looks fab Kat. Love your homemade stencil too - a girl after my own heart!

      Reply
      • Kat Buckley

        July 13, 2013 at 8:57 pm

        Thank you! Crafting isn't my speciality, but sometimes I have a 'moment'!

        Reply
    4. Victoria Lee

      June 28, 2013 at 10:10 am

      This is so bookmarked to try! It looks and sounds divine, and the decoration is perfect! I'm not surprised it sold out!

      Reply
      • Kat Buckley

        July 13, 2013 at 8:57 pm

        Please let me know if you make it! It really is SO good!

        Reply
    5. Kim

      July 10, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      Oh yum! Chocolate Guiness has been on my to bake list for ages and with Baileys buttercream that moves it up a few notches!

      Reply
      • Kat Buckley

        July 13, 2013 at 8:58 pm

        Thanks Kim! I know, double the yum!

        Reply
    6. Jessica

      September 25, 2020 at 6:29 pm

      Very bland, cake lacks flavour. Does it really need that much oil? It gives it a strange aftertaste even though I used normal vegetable oil. Buttercream is nice though.

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        September 25, 2020 at 10:36 pm

        Hi Jessica, I'm so pleased you like the buttercream but I am very confused to hear that you found it bland as it is very popular with my colleagues and I make it for my birthday every year. What brand of chocolate and cocoa powder did you use as that may throw up some clues as to why it was bland for you?

        Reply
    7. Jane

      August 02, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Kat, I made this cake last week for a birthday and I was so pleased with the result. I rarely bake, but trying to get into it and this was so simple to do. I added a bit of cocao powder to the buttercream icing too and it was soooo yummy! Thank you for all your recipes, they are great!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        August 02, 2021 at 5:56 pm

        Thanks so much for your lovely feedback Jane!

        Reply
    8. Rachel

      August 28, 2022 at 9:35 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for a family birthday cake. I doubled the recipe and used 6" tins for a 4 layer cake, and used a baileys cream cheese buttercream instead of the recipes buttercream. The sponge was so light, moist, and tender. The guiness and cocoa (I opted for black cocoa) that helped to balance out the sweetness of the buttercream. I've saved the recipe to use again in the future!!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        August 28, 2022 at 11:50 pm

        I'm so happy you liked it Rachel, thank you so much for the lovely review!

        Reply

    Leave a review & recipe rating Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Find a recipe

    Hi, I'm Kat! Welcome to The Baking Explorer! Here you will find my easy and delicious collection of recipes and how to guides, to satisfy all of your sweet cravings and baking queries. Everything you see is vegetarian, and there are vegan options too! Read More…

    FIND ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Popular Recipes

    • Lotus Biscoff Cupcakes Lotus Biscoff Cupcakes
    • Maltesers Cheesecake (No Bake)
    • Victoria Sponge Cake Victoria Sponge Cake
    • Biscoff Cheesecake (No Bake)
    • Victoria Sponge Cupcakes
    • Biscoff Cake

    Recent Recipes

    • Snickers Brownies

      Snickers Brownies

      Jun 2, 2023
    • Battenberg Cupcakes

      Battenberg Cupcakes

      May 27, 2023
    • Rice Krispie Treats

      Rice Krispie Treats

      May 12, 2023
    • Mint Chocolate Aero Cheesecake

      Mint Chocolate Aero Cheesecake (No Bake)

      May 5, 2023
    • Flapjacks

      Flapjacks

      Apr 28, 2023
    • Maltesers Traybake Cake

      Maltesers Traybake Cake

      Apr 21, 2023

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    VuelioTop10Badge2022
    Baking Heaven

    Copyright © 2023 The Baking Explorer