Equipment
Ingredients
Stout Chocolate Base
- 250 ml stout beer
- 225 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 85 g dutch-process cocoa powder
- 60 ml strong brewed coffee, hot
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 400 g granulated sugar
- 7 g baking soda
- 3 g kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 120 g sour cream, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
Coffee Glaze & Garnish
- 120 g confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 30 ml strong brewed coffee, room temperature
- 2 ml vanilla extract
- 20 g cacao nibs
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 66 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 44 g
- Sodium
- 429 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 90 mg
- Potassium
- 311 mg
- Calcium
- 39 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 53 mg
- Phosphorus
- 143 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 155 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.16 mg
- Niacin
- 1.1 mg
- Folate
- 14 mcg
- Water
- 39 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 12 mg
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F. Thoroughly grease the interior of the Bundt pan with butter or baking spray, then dust evenly with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.
In a medium saucepan, combine the stout beer and cubed unsalted butter. Heat gently over medium heat until the butter is completely melted, then remove from heat.
Whisk the Dutch-process cocoa powder and 60ml of hot strong brewed coffee into the melted stout and butter mixture until completely smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and kosher salt until evenly distributed.
In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream, and 10ml of vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
Gradually pour the slightly cooled stout-chocolate mixture into the egg and sour cream mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Once combined, fold this wet mixture into the dry flour mixture just until no streaks of flour remain.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 175°C/350°F for 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan on a wire rack for exactly 10 minutes. Carefully invert the pan onto the rack to release the cake. Let it cool completely.
While the cake cools, whisk together the sifted confectioners' sugar, 30ml of room temperature brewed coffee, and 2ml of vanilla extract in a small bowl until a smooth, pourable glaze forms.
Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle the coffee glaze heavily over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. Immediately sprinkle with cacao nibs before the glaze sets.
Chef's Notes
- Dutch-process cocoa powder is essential here; its neutral pH reacts properly with the baking soda and sour cream, offering a deeper color and earthier chocolate profile than natural cocoa.
- The carbonation in the stout beer assists with leavening, creating a lighter crumb structure in what is typically a very dense cake style.
- Do not skip tempering the egg mixture. Introducing the hot stout liquid too quickly can scramble the eggs and ruin the emulsion of your batter.
- Using a dry stout is highly recommended. Sweet stouts or milk stouts contain unfermented lactose and sugars that will throw off the sweetness balance of the recipe.
- For absolute precision when unmolding a Bundt cake, use a pastry brush to apply softened butter or shortening into the intricate designs of the pan before dusting.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container to maintain maximum moisture.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unglazed. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil.
Troubleshooting
Cake stuck to the bundt pan and tore during unmolding
Cause: Improper greasing of the pan or waiting too long/too little to unmold
Fix: Piece the cake back together while still warm; use extra coffee glaze to mask the imperfections.
Prevention: Ensure every crevice of the pan is greased and heavily dusted. Wait exactly 10 minutes before inverting.
Glaze absorbs into the cake rather than sitting on top
Cause: The cake was still warm when glazed
Fix: Wait for the cake to finish cooling, make a second half-batch of glaze, and pour it over the first layer.
Prevention: Wait until the cake is completely cool to the touch before glazing.
Cake has a gummy, dense texture
Cause: Batter was overmixed after combining wet and dry ingredients
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Fold ingredients gently just until no dry flour streaks remain.
Cultural Context
The chocolate stout cake is a modern American classic heavily inspired by Irish culinary traditions, notably the pairing of dark, roasted Guinness with hearty baked goods. Combining coffee, beer, and chocolate leverages the shared Maillard reaction compounds in all three ingredients, a technique utilized globally to elevate depth in confectionary arts.
