Chocolate Guinness Cake is a dense and super chocolaty gluten free cake topped with homemade Guinness chocolate ganache for an over the top chocolate cake.
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Whenever I make chocolate cake, I for some reason always think about my dad.
He loves chocolate. And besides his love for banana pudding dessert {you know the one that’s layered with pudding, bananas, Cool Whip and Nilla wafers?}, chocolate is always his number one pick.
Chocolate muffins for breakfast? Of course. Chocolate cupcakes? Yep. Chocolate cake. Heck yes.
That’s why this chocolate Guinness cake immediately made me think of him.
It’s full of so much chocolate flavor, is the perfect mix between cupcake and cake texture, and has a little bit of beer to balance out the sweet.
Chocolate Guinness Cake: the base
Similar to these absolutely delicious and addictive mini cranberry orange bundt cakes, this healthy chocolate cake batter starts out with olive oil.
I love the richness olive oil imparts on cakes, and is a healthier alternative to butter.
Pure maple syrup and raw cane sugar {this one is my favorite} help make this cake naturally sweet.
But it wouldn’t be a chocolate cake without some cocoa. I love how Guinness really brings out the chocolate flavor. Almost like how coffee helps to bring out the richness of chocolate.
Skeptical? Make these dark chocolate chunk healthy brownies and then tell me coffee doesn’t make a difference.
Not only are these dense chocolate cakes healthy, but they’re also gluten free. One of my favorite brands to use is King Arthur, not only for their gluten free flour, but also for their white whole wheat flour.
If you’ve never used gluten free flour before, make sure you buy the 1:1. Meaning the xanthan gum {the stuff that acts like gluten in gluten free flour} is already mixed in. It acts as a 1:1 ratio for regular flour.
I baked these chocolate Guinness cakes in mini bundt pans, which actually made them look like massive chocolate muffins. I’m sure you could bake them as regular sized cupcakes, I just haven’t tried that yet.
Chocolate Guinness Cake: the ganache
My oh my. This chocolate ganache.
It’s thick, creamy and extra dreamy, and definitely takes this giant muffin, mini bundt cake {however you want to look at it} to the next level of chocolate goodness.
I love how simple this ganache is to make as well.
Typically, chocolate ganache requires heating heavy cream and chocolate chips over a double boiler or in a sauce pan. But we don’t have time for all of that. Because honestly, who wants to wait to eat their giant chocolate muffin/cake? Not me!
All that’s required of this chocolate ganache is to melt chocolate chips and Guinness in the microwave. You heard that right…the microwave.
It still creates an extra creamy texture, and that perfect shine a ganache provides. And is an absolute must on top of this chocolate Guinness cake.
Drizzle a hefty amount all over the top of your cakes and give it just enough time to set before digging in!
Chocolate Guinness Cake: the perfect forkful
I know when my dad sees this post he’s going to be wishing he was here to take a giant bite.
The cakes are super rich, so you likely only need about half. Or, if you decided to bake them into cupcakes, that size would be just enough to satisfy your chocolate sweet tooth.
This chocolate Guinness cake provides the perfect forkful, and I’m sure would wash down just fine with a little Guinness.
Do you love chocolate just as much as my dad? What’s your favorite chocolate treat?
Looking for more chocolate desserts? Check these out:
Guinness Chocolate Rolo Cookies
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups 1:1 gluten free flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup raw cane sugar
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ⅔ cup room temperature Guinness
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 3 Tbsp. room temperature Guinness
- 1 tsp. vanilla
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Preheat oven to 350°F and grease four mini bundt pans with baking spray.
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In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, pure maple syrup and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, to combine.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cane sugar, baking powder and salt.
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Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine. Pour in half of the Guinness and stir to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining flour and Guinness.
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Split the batter among the mini bundt pans* and bake for 30-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Meanwhile, add the ganache ingredients to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until chocolate is melted.**
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Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.
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Drizzle or dip the cakes into the ganache.
*Note: I place my mini bundt pans on a small baking sheet to make placing and removing from the oven easier.
**Note: you should likely only need about 30 seconds. Keep stirring until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture becomes thick.
