CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE: 3 Recipes for St. Patrick's Day!

Every year for St. Patrick's Day, I post several Guinness recipes. No big surprise because when I think of Ireland, I think of shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns...and Guinness.

Guinness Stout was founded in 1759 when Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 (!) year lease on a brewery in Dublin. That brewery is still the center of Guinness operations, and all the Guinness sold in the UK, Ireland, and North America is brewed there! FYI for those of you in the U.K., Guinness is served chilled in Ireland and the bottles read "Serve Extra Cold."

St. Patrick's Day calls for a Chocolate Guinness Cake! I've put together three recipes. One of my favorite Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipes is from the New York Times (12/8/04). There are several other recipes I like, including an "Easy" Chocolate Guinness Cake made from a cake mix and a whole bottle of Guinness. The final one on today's post is from Chef Brian Leth of Vinegar Hill House and appeared in People Magazine in 2012 (see below). It's pretty similar to the one from the NYT, but I'll bet it all comes down to the cocoa .. and a bit of technique. Being Irish helps, too!

1. CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

Recipe from NYT (see above)

Ingredients

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/8 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/8 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
In large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar. Whisk to blend.
In small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on wire rack and cool completely in pan.
Remove cake from pan and place on platter or cake stand.
Ice the top with cream cheese icing.

The NYT recipe uses a white cream cheese icing. If you use a white cream cheese icing, you can ice the top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness. If you use chocolate, well.... you'll be eating more chocolate!

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Don't have the time or inclination to make a cake from scratch? This Chocolate Guinness Cake is even easier and calls for more Guinness!!! This recipe is from Canela and Comino.  Don't worry about the taste or smell of the Guinness because you're using the whole bottle. You'll only have a tang from the Guinness and no yeasty smell, just great chocolate aroma!

2. EASY CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

Ingredients

1 box of dark chocolate cake mix (one with pudding in the mix)
1 bottle of Guinness Stout

Loanne Heavey Slapar with her Chocolate Guinness Cake

1/2 cup of Canola oil
3 eggs
4 ounces Bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine cake mix, Stout, oil, and eggs in mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed just until combined. Add bittersweet chocolate and gently stir in. Divide between two 8” cake pans, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when stuck in middle.
Remove from oven and cool in pans for about 15 minutes, then transfer to  cooling rack. Once cooled, frost with a rich Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.  (see recipe above or use canned)

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3. CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

From People Magazine/Vinegar Hill House:

BARBIE DAY: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Yesterday was Barbie Day. National Barbie Day is celebrated annually on March 9, marking the official debut of the Barbie doll at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959. Created by Ruth Handler, this day celebrates the iconic fashion doll's history, impact on pop culture, and evolution as a symbol of imagination and, more recently, diversity. So for this year's Barbie Day, here's some 'chocolate' and San Francisco Barbie information.

If truth be told, I fancied myself 'too old' for Barbie Dolls, so I never had any or played with anyone else's dolls. Nevertheless, I secretly admired the dolls for their clothes. I had designed clothes for my paperdolls, and I could easily have seen myself designing for Barbie. Alas, that was another career not fulfilled. (If you're looking for some really outstanding Barbie outfits with impeccable tailoring, design, and details, don't miss my friend Kathleen Taylor's Etsy shop - KathleenTaylorsStuff)

And, in case you don't know, Barbie is a chocolaholic. She is very partial to See's Candies, as am I. I finally got my first Barbie doll, the "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" Barbie, when I did a special event for the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (now known as San Francisco Travel). I love this Barbie--so San Francisco! She's dressed in an early 60s outfit, with hat and gloves, out for a day of lunch and shopping, with a wonderful See's Candies shop in the background. I like to think she's a lady who lunches, probably in Union Square. 

The following See's Candies dolls use to sell at See's. No longer, but you can find them on eBay, and other sites.

Extra Nutty Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies: National Peanut Lovers Day!

Here's a great  recipe for Extra Nutty Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies adapted from Pillsbury using their box Brownie Mix.  I don't usually use boxed mixes, but this is a good recipe. Of course you can make your own brownies and just add the layer of peanut butter fudge and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.

I really like the clean salty taste of plain roasted peanuts, rather than the recommended honey-roasted peanuts in the original recipe.

I also add chocolate chips to the recipe and cut down on the peanut butter chips. You can never have enough chocolate!

EXTRA NUTTY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE BROWNIES

Ingredients
2 (15.8 oz) pkg. fudge brownie mix with chocolate syrup
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
 2 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
7 ounces peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease bottom only of 13 x 9-inch pan.
In large bowl, combine brownie mixes, chocolate pouches from mixes, oil, water and eggs; beat 50 strokes with spoon. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour about half of batter into sprayed pan.
In large saucepan, combine condensed milk, peanut butter chips and peanut butter; cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until chips and peanut butter are melted, stirring constantly.
Spoon and spread peanut butter mixture over batter.
Drop remaining half of batter over peanut butter layer.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Bake at 350°F. for 35 to 40 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan.
DO NOT OVERBAKE. 
Cool 2 hours.
Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until completely cooled before serving.
Cut into bars.

SAN FRANCISCO CHOCOLATE SALON: March 28

 

MARCH 28, 2026
ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE 

When: March 28, 2026
11:00am - 5:00pm 
 

Where: San Francisco County Fair Building
Hall of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
1199 9th Ave at Lincoln Way
San Francisco, CA 94122
 

Adults Tickets:
$25 Advance Tickets 
$30 Tickets at Door 
For more information, go to www.SFChocolateSalon.com