This past week was a family birthday so of course that deserves cake! St. Patrick’s Day is also right around the corner and you know those Irish love their booze. This chocolate cake is tender, moist, fudgy, and layered with Irish cream icing. I know, almost too much to handle! After all that, the cake is topped with a chocolate drip and shavings. AAAAAAhhh, wow!

Now, this cake does contain alcohol. It will cook off in the oven so it’s safe for kiddos, but the icing still has booze in it. All these rich flavors are the ultimate combo for a boozy dessert! It’s perfect for any time of the year, but especially St. Patty’s Day, which is right around the corner.

what makes this Guinness chocolate cake so good?

Believe it or not, you really can’t taste the beer in the cake, but it helps make the cake extra moist and the chocolate flavor pop. The beer has a bitter, rich taste, which compliments the cake in the perfect way.

The cake ends up baking nice and light, fluffy, and fudgy. There are only 2 layers to the cake, but I just feel like that might be the best option, but I have to say, I love myself a single layer cake.

And if you’re worried about stale cake, don’t! This layers can withstand days of fresh air because they’re so moist. The beer adds that special touch of just a little stout flavor with a moist crumb.

Why is it so light and moist?

The carbonation and darkness helps create a very light cake that is very moist. No dense and dry cakes here!

materials you need:

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Plain yogurt
• Vegetable/canola oil
• Vanilla paste/extract
• Guinness stout beer
• Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Irish Cream, I used Bailey’s
• Chocolate chips + milk

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how to make the indulgent Irish cream icing

The stopper of the show could very well be the icing. Forget the moist, tender cake… ok well not all together, but add Irish cream to a buttercream and layer it. Heaven in a few bites. The combination of the the tender cake and creamy boozy icing is just the best few bites you can stuff in your face. If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the right way, you need this cake!!

Add softened butter to a bowl. Beat until creamy and smooth. You don’t want to leave any cold chunks of butter that aren’t smooth.

Next, add in your powdered sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy. Don’t miss any dry spots!

Lastly, add in the vanilla paste and Irish cream (I used Bailey’s). Mix until smooth and combined.

Have you heard the word smooth enough??

Start layering your cake, smooth, and enjoy!

extra tips for the best cake

• Don’t over mix the batter, otherwise it could be dense and dry.
• Be careful when measuring your ingredients because this could mess up your batter.
• When baking your cake, make sure to fully test it before removing from the oven to ensure it’s fully baked through.
• Fully cool your cakes before icing and assembling otherwise it will melt into mess. I suggest freezing for a little bit to make the cakes cool faster and make them a little sturdier for assembling.
• Chill your crumb coat for 15 minutes to lock in all the crumbs and make it easier for a cleaner coat.
• Using a cake scraper, offset spatula, and spinner can make your assembling much easier.

how to make the moist Guinness chocolate cake

This chocolate Guinness cake is moist, tender, and similar to a brownie, but not as dense. The cake is super easy and only requires 2 bowls and not even a mixer! In this recipe, you fold the batter to make it lighter and fluffier, rather than dense and thick.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together your yogurt, eggs, oil, vanilla paste, and Guinness until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently whisk until just combined, then stop!

Grease 2, 8″ circle pans with non-stick spray or butter until heavily greased. Evenly pour the batter into the 2 pans and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let fully cool and then assemble!

troubleshooting tips

• My cake sunk! – You most likely added too much baking powder/baking soda or opened the oven too early.
• My cake stuck to the pan! – Heavily grease the cake pans and if you want, you can also line the bottom with parchment.
• My cake is wet and dense like a brownie! – You most likely didn’t have enough dry ingredients as well as it’s under baked.
• I don’t want to have real booze in the icing, what do I do? – If you don’t drink alcohol, you can leave out the Bailey’s from the icing and add in a tiny bit of heavy cream + peppermint extract instead. This won’t resemble the exact flavor, but will be similar. And for the cake, the booze cooks off in the oven so you don’t have to worry about that.
• The cake is dry! – You most likely over mixed the batter and it started to combine to much while sitting out. Just mix a little.
• Can I make these into cupcakes? – Yes! Do the same process for the batter and icing and scoop the batter into cupcake pans instead. Bake for 15-17 minutes.

storing and savoring your cake

When you’re ready to stop stuffing your face… ready? not yet? ok… now? Ok, ok! Wrap the cake in plastic and store in the fridge until you’re ready to indulge again. You can also place it under a cake dome to keep it fresh.

When you’re ready to indulge again, let it sit out for 30 minutes to soften it. Dig in!

Want more delicious chocolate recipes? Check out our:

• Chocolate & Blackberry Cake
• Chocolate Glazed Donuts
• Crazy Chocolate Mocha Coffee Cupcakes
• Triple Cookie Dough Cake

Did you make this recipe? Let me know on instagram @tuesday.treats or use #tuesdaytreats2016 I love seeing your creations!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!