Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake – Completely Delicious

This chocolate stout bundt cake is moist, chocolaty, and has a whole bottle of Guinness beer baked right in! I promise, you don’t have to like beer to love this cake.

Why put beer in a chocolate cake? Stout beer has natural flavor notes of coffee and chocolate, so it’s actually an excellent addition. You can’t exactly detect any beer flavor, but it does add a fun, slightly different flavor and keeps the cake very moist.

This chocolate stout cake with ganache icing is simple but decadent and rich. And since it’s baked in a bundt pan it looks great without any extra effort! It’s a boozy dessert perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any day of the year.

Table of Contents

Ingredients you’ll need

What type of beer should I use in this cake?

This chocolate Guinness cake recipe calls for one 12 ounce bottle (or 1½ cups) of stout beer. Stout beer is a dark malty beer with a smooth body and heavy, creamy head. It pairs really well with this chocolate cake because stout naturally has flavor notes of coffee and chocolate. I used Guinness, but Murphy’s Irish Stout is another brand that will work well. Other dark beers like an oatmeal stout or porter are other options.

How to make chocolate stout bundt cake

I love bundt cakes because they are so simple and fuss-free! It naturally comes out of the bundt pan looking gorgeous and all you need to add is a simple chocolate icing.

1. Prepare cake batter. This cake using the creaming method, which means it starts with beating the butter and sugar together until soft, then adding the eggs and chocolate, and finally the dry ingredients and the beer.
2. Bake. Because it’s such a thick cake, it will take about an hour to bake. Start checking at 50 minutes, if the cake feels firm and bounces back when gently pressed, test it with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs.
3. Remove from the pan and cool. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Top with ganache. Make the simple ganache with chocolate and heavy cream, then spread it over the cake. If you want a thin glaze that will flow and cover the entire bundt cake, use the ganache while it’s warm. The ganache will thicken upon standing (I let mine cool for about 15 minutes to get the look in these photos).
5. Serve. And enjoy!

Bundt cake tips and FAQs

• This recipe uses two types of chocolate. You’ll need unsweetened chocolate for the cake batter, and bittersweet chocolate for the ganache. If you don’t mind a little extra sweetness in your cake, you can use bittersweet chocolate for both. 
• Start with room-temperature dairy and eggs for the best texture and rise.
• Scrape down the bowl! It’s important to scrape the bowl down often as you’re mixing the cake to make sure everything combines evenly.
• Choose the right bundt pan. Bundt pans can vary widely in volume and you’ll want one that holds at least 10-12 cups. This is my favorite bundt pan! A good rule of thumb is to not fill your bundt cake pan more than 2/3 full or you risk overflowing the pan as it bakes.
• Can I substitute the beer for something else? I highly recommend using stout beer in this cake, but if you are looking for an alternative, brewed coffee will also enhance flavor. In place of coffee you can also add water and 2 teaspoons of instant coffee or espresso powder.
• Bundt cakes are great for making ahead. It’ll keep at room temperature for several days, or you can wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap (with or without the icing) and store in the freezer for a month or more. When ready to enjoy, simply let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours before removing the plastic wrap.

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Note: This recipe was originally published March 2010. New photos and better instructions were added in 2020, and even more helpful tips and a video were added in 2024. This recipe is better than ever!