Soaked Irish Chocolate Cake
This was a fun project for Matt and I to tackle together. I didn’t want to be like everyone else and publish yet another Guinness chocolate cake, so we decided to see if there was something better. We tested 4 beers to find the best option for this soaked Irish chocolate cake.
Chocolate cake
The cake layers themselves are rich and fudgy, staying moist even after a couple days in the fridge. I added an extra egg yolks and some sour cream to keep everything tender and soft. The chocolate flavor comes from a good amount of cocoa powder and melted chocolate that gets mixed right into the batter.
After the cake layers have cooled and are at room temperature, level them off with a large, serrated knife to make stacking and frosting easier. After you level them, use a pastry brush to give them a healthy soak of coffee. I used this Irish cream flavor from Bones Coffee, but any dark roast would also work. Be sure to save a couple tablespoons of that coffee to use in the buttercream!
Frosting
To keep going with the flavor line, I used Irish cream and the same coffee that went into the cake to flavor the buttercream. I also added a little extra salt and the same amount of vanilla to balance everything out, and the resulting frosting was PERFECT for this soaked Irish chocolate cake.
The ganache topping that’s in the pictures is optional, but I included it in the recipe card anyways. Even if you skip it, there’s still plenty of chocolate in this cake!
The beer contenders
2 chocolate stouts and 2 Irish stouts. Since it would be a bit overkill to make 4 chocolate cakes, I wanted to narrow it down to the best tasting chocolate and then Irish stout so I’d only have to make 2 cakes. And since Matt is more beer-literate than I am, he was a huge help.
Breckenridge Brewery Nitro Irish Stout
The only nitro option on this list, so I was anxious to try it out and see if it affected the texture of the finished cake at all. I was also going to include the Guinness nitro cold brew coffee on this list, but Matt and I both decided that coffee with a little beer thrown in didn’t qualify for this recipe.
Matt’s tasting notes: “Nutty taste, creamy and smooth. A pleasant aftertaste with some bitterness, but that just goes with an ale. There was some chocolate that came through, but definitely more coffee. Again, as someone who likes lagers, I’d drink this if someone handed it to me, and probably have another one if there weren’t other options.”
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
Matt’s tasting notes: “Disappointing. Faint tootsie roll flavor throughout, but stronger in the aftertaste. But overall, pretty underwhelming, especially for something that’s billed as a ‘double chocolate’ stout. I couldn’t smell the chocolate before drinking, either. When you could actually taste chocolate, it was almost like a fake extract flavor.
Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout
Matt’s tasting notes: “This one smacks you in the face with chocolate, even before drinking it. And when you do drink it, you get a bold, smooth chocolate flavor. Of both of the chocolate stouts, this one deserved to be called “double chocolate” over the other one. Even a good 15 minutes after finishing this one, I could still taste the chocolate in my mouth. As a guy who hasn’t found an ale he likes, I’d drink it to the bottom and then buy a pack of it.”
Guinness Extra Stout
EVERYONE is making chocolate cakes with regular Guinness. For good reason, since the caramel and coffee notes go exceptionally well with chocolate. But again, the whole point of this was to see and explore other options. Unlike regular Guinness, Extra Stout is carbonated rather than nitrogenated, meaning the head isn’t as creamy or thick.
Matt’s tasting notes: “Least favorite. Kind of crisp, but I don’t like ales. There are some chocolate and caramel notes on the aftertaste, overall a pretty smooth drinking beer. This would probably go well in the cake, too.”
Choosing a beer
I tested one round with Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout and then one round with the Breckenridge Brewery nitro Irish Stout. I was anxious to see if the nitro would give the cake a different texture, but both cakes came out soft, plush and decidedly moist.
Personally, we loved the cake made with the chocolate stout the most. There was the perfect hint of beer, but nothing that got in the way of the chocolate. However, the other cake was absolutely delicious, too! Thankfully, I confirmed that no matter what stout you use, you’re going to get a fantastic cake.
Soaked Irish Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling + Assembly: 9 hours
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 10 hours
- Yield: 12 frosted slices 1x
- Category: Dessert, Cake & Cheesecake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Irish
Description
Rich, fudgy and moist, this chocolate cake is loaded with Irish flavor.
Ingredients
For the cake & soak:
- 1/2 cup chocolate stout
- 1/4 cup + 1 TB cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp espresso powder
- 1/2 cup whole milk buttermilk
- 1/2 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup + 2 TB all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup + 2 TB dark roast coffee, divided
For the Irish buttercream & ganache:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 TB Irish cream liquor
- 2 TB coffee, reserved from cake recipe
- 4 oz chopped dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
To make the cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray the insides of two 6 inch round cake pans with a flour based baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prep the ingredients. Add the 1/2 cup stout to a measuring cup and stir in the cocoa powder, vanilla and espresso powder until the mixture is thick and creamy. Set aside.
- Add the buttermilk to another measuring cup/glass and vigorously stir in the oil until well blended and smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (large enough to hold all of the batter, I used a 3 quart size) combine the egg, egg yolk, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar. Whisk vigorously for one minute until thick and pale. Add the buttermilk/oil mixture and sour cream, and mix well for another minute until well blended and smooth.
- Add the flour all at once, and whisk for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the stout/cocoa powder mixture, using a spatula to scrape it all into the cake batter. Add the melted chocolate and mix for one more minute.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 32-35 minutes. The tops of the cakes should be domed and will spring back lightly when touched. Allow the cakes to cool completely to room temperature.
- Once the cakes are a cool room temperature, use a large serrated knife to level off the tops. Eat the scraps, they’re delicious!! Using a pastry brush, bathe the cut ends of the cake layers with 2 TB of coffee per layer, for a total of 1/4 cup of coffee used. Wrap the soaked layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (8 hours).
Make the buttercream and finish the cake:
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, Irish cream liquor and coffee. Mix on low speed until everything is absorbed, then increase the speed to medium high and beat for one minute.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once more and beat for another minute.
- Add about a teaspoon of frosting to the surface of the turntable or plate you are using to assemble the cake. Place the first chocolate cake layer onto the dab of frosting to keep it secure.
- Add 3/4 cup of frosting to the top of the first layer and spread it evenly over the cake. You should have about 1/2 inch of frosting. Place the second layer on top of the frosting and repeat with another 3/4 cup. Use the remaining frosting to cover the sides of the cake and smooth everything out as desired.
- If using the ganache, heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 45 seconds on full power. Stir the cream, and then heat for another 15 seconds. Add the chopped chocolate to a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Allow the chocolate and cream to rest for one minute, then whisk until smooth.
- Garnish the frosted cake with the ganache as desired. Serve immediately or chill until you’re ready to eat. Leftover cake can be frozen for 4-6 months or refrigerated for up to a week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 frosted slice with ganache
- Calories: 677
- Sugar: 57.9 g
- Sodium: 335.1 mg
- Fat: 44.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 29.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.2 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 114.7 mg
