It’s March. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! Life is weird and Mercury is in retrograde but this cake makes up for all of it. ;) Plus, this weekend is St. Paddy’s Day so it’s a perfect excuse to make some cake. This cake is delicious and super rich so all you need is a small slice (aka it will feed a huge group of people)! Three layers of a moist, fluffy chocolate stout cake with rich and creamy chocolate ganache in between. Oh, and did I mention that the ganache has irish cream in it???
If you’re looking for a cake that really tastes like Guinness or Baileys Irish Cream, you’re in the wrong place. The addition of stout and Irish cream in this particular recipe just really brings out a deeper and richer chocolate flavor overall. That’s actually one of my favorite aspects about it.
Ganache tip #1: There is a point where the ganache is too soft to spread on the cake but then too hard to spread evenly so I would test it out on the extra layer (YES, there’s an extra layer!) before you start putting it on the actual cake.
Ganache tip #2: You’ll want to but don’t eat too much of the ganache before you put it on the cake! This recipe makes JUST enough..but if you want thicker ganache, I suggest making 1.5-2x the recipe listed below.
Every once in a while I get the urge to make a dessert totally and completely over the top. This was one of those times. After contemplating on adding a 4th layer I resisted but only because I didn’t have enough chocolate ganache. So yeah, this cake comes with a bonus layer–do what you wish with it (cake pops, anyone?).
Let’s get festive for St. Paddy’s Day! :)
This recipe was adapted from Oui, Chef.
- 2 cups stout (A 14.9oz tall can of Guiness is the exact amount!)
- 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, unsalted
- 1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1⅓ cups sour cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ⅓ cup baleys (optional but encouraged)
- sprinkles (again, optional but encouraged)
- In a large saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove from heat and then whisk in the chocolate until everything is incorporated.
- Refrigerate the icing until it is at a good consistency to spread – about 2 hours (stirring every 20-30-mins).
- [you could also make this the night before and then microwave it for 15 second intervals until it softens to the right consistency - that's what I did!!].
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Butter 4 6-inch pans and dust with cocoa powder.
- In a large saucepan, bring the stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder while whisking until everything is incorporated. Allow to cool slightly.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together using a hand mixer. Slowly add the Stout/chocolate mixture to the egg/sour cream bowl and beat just enough to combine.
- Then add the flour mixture a little at a time, using a rubber spatula to fold and mix everything together (don’t overmix!).
- Divide the batter in the prepared pans (I filled mine about ⅔ of the way up).
- Bake for about 30-35 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted in the middle. Then place the cakes on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. After that, release the cake from the pans and let them cool completely on the cooling rack.
- Once the cakes are cooled, even out the top of each layer so that it is flat by using a large knife.
- Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of ganache on the top. Repeat for the other two layers.
- To frost the top/outside of the cake, place a large amount of ganache on the top and then spread it from the center to the edges, allowing excess ganache to go over the edge and onto the side of the cake.
- Then add more ganache (as much as needed) to finish frosting the sides of the cake.
- Optional: Top with some fun festive sprinkles.
- Let ganache set (about 15-30 mins) and then serve!
