This Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake with chocolate ganache is incredibly moist, tender, rich, and intensely chocolatey. It's the perfect addition to your St. Patrick's Day menu!

If you're looking for a special dessert to celebrate St-Patrick's Day, and want something with some serious dark chocolate flavor then this is the cake for you!

This Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake is as chocolatey as they come. You might think beer is an odd ingredient in a cake, but in fact, the toasty chocolate and coffee undertones of stout (such as Guinness) make it an excellent choice for incorporating into chocolate flavored baked goods.

After your first couple of bites, you'll most likely detect a hint of bitterness from the stout and the dark chocolate. These ingredients balance the flavors beautifully and ensure that this chocolate cake is indulgent without being excessively sweet.

Topped with ganache, this stout spiked bundt cake becomes a decadent treat that is sure to impress at any gathering.

Chocolate stout bundt cake on cake stand.

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How to Make Chocolate Stout Cake
Ingredients Overview
Steps Overview
Serving Suggestions
Storage Instructions
Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake

How to Make Chocolate Stout Cake

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this chocolate bundt cake. You will find the amounts and detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredients Overview

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this cake:

Stout, I used Guinness. Beer works as a gentle leavening agent. The carbonation in the beer helps cakes, quick breads, and muffins rise high.
Molasses
Semisweet chocolate, both for the cake and the ganache.
All-purpose flour
Cocoa, not Dutch-processed.
Baking powder, baking soda and salt
Unsalted butter
Light brown sugar
Eggs
Heavy cream for the chocolate ganache

Steps Overview

For the cake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat oven. Grease and lightly dust a large bundt pan.
in a small saucepan, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Take the saucepan off the heat, add the chopped chocolate, stir to combine and set aside.
Into a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and stout mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan, run a knife through the batter to eliminate air pockets.
Bake cake until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Set the pan on cooling rack for 20 minutes and then invert the cake onto wire rack and let cool until it's just slightly warm.

For the Chocolate ganache:

Pour the heavy cream into small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate.
Let the mixture stand for 1 minute and then stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Let the ganache cool slightly and slowly pour the warm ganache over the cake. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this moist chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat. If you have any leftovers, I recommend serving the cake slightly warmed. A few seconds in the microwave should do it.

Storage Instructions

This cake can be stored loosely covered at room temperature for a couple of days. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you wish to make this cake ahead of time and freeze it, you can do so without the ganache. Bake the cake, let it cool entirely and then wrap it well in plastic wrap and then again with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months. To serve, remove the cake from freezer and thaw one day ahead of serving. Bring cake to room temperature, prepare the ganache and let it cool slightly before slowly pouring it onto the chocolate cake.

If you're looking for more recipes to celebrate St-Patrick's Day, here's a flavorful recipe for Irish Soda Bread and another for Irish Scones. Happy St-Patrick's Day!