Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake

Chocolatey, moist and glorious in richness cut by a fluffy cream cheese frosting – this Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake really has it all. Whilst at first it may sound rather sickly, stay with me – the taste of Guinness/stout does not come through. It provides a deeper, more complex flavour and adds moisture to create a deep, dark chocolate cake. This is offset by a sharp cream cheese frosting for the perfect afternoon treat.

You could make this for St Patricks Day, or you could make it any other day of the year and it will be just as wonderful and worth celebrating. This makes a wonderful cake to have after a Sunday dinner or when friends are over.

This cake is all made in one pan on the stovetop, making it a little unusual but it allows for all the sugar to dissolve and all the ingredients can come together. Ensure the mixture cools a little before adding the flour, or the flour may start to cook before the mixture goes in the oven, leading to an unpleasant texture.

As well as this, do let the cake cool before frosting it – cream cheese is prone to melting very quickly. Once you’ve added the frosting, feel free to add extra sprinkles/chocolate shavings or similar to make it a bit special!

This recipe could easily be made a round cake, doubled up to make a real celebration cake, or turned into cupcakes. Just adjust your oven timings accordingly!

For other cake ideas, you could try this Chocolate Mocha Cake or this Vanilla Snacking Cake with Biscoff Buttercream.

Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake

Makes: 2Lb Loaf Tin (About 10 Slices)
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

– 125ml Guinness (or similar Stout)
– 125g Butter
– 30g Cocoa Powder
– 200g Granulated Sugar
– 75ml Sour Cream
– 1 Egg
– 135g Plain Flour
– 1 Tsp Baking Soda

For the frosting:
– 150g Cream Cheese
– 125g Icing Sugar
– 2 Tsp Cornflour/Corn Starch

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 2lb Loaf Tin.
2. In a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the Guinness and butter. Whisk gently until the butter melts.
3. Add the cocoa powder and sugar, and whisk thoroughly until combined. Turn the heat off.
4. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and egg and pour into the saucepan. Whisk again.
5. Add the flour and baking soda (ensuring the mixture isn’t piping hot, or the flour will cook – see note). Whisk everything together and pour into the lined loaf tin.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes – until the top is a darker brown and looks firm. Let cool.
7. Make the frosting by whisking all ingredients together. Then spread over the top of the cake and serve!