Guinness Chocolate Cake with Cake Mix

An easy Guinness chocolate cake with Irish whiskey glaze comes together in just minutes with help from a boxed cake mix!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Irish

Keyword chocolate guinness cake, chocolate guinness cake recipe, guinness chocolate cake, guinness chocolate cake recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 5

Servings people

Calories 465kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix (or sub with regular chocolate cake mix)
2 teaspoons espresso powder or instant coffee granules
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
1 (3.9 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix (just the dry mix -- do not prepare pudding according to package directions)
½ cup Guinness beer
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat together the cake mix, espresso powder or instant coffee, sour cream, dry pudding mix, Guinness, oil, and eggs for about 2 minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan; tap on the counter once or twice to release air bubbles.
Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. My cake is always done in 55 minutes, but the total baking time will vary. Let cake stand for 10 minutes. Invert on a cooling rack and remove cake from pan. Once cake is completely cool, drizzle with Irish Whiskey Glaze.

Once the cake is cool, prepare the glaze. Place the butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; whisk in the whiskey. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently as it cools slightly. Gradually whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add extra confectioners’ sugar, if necessary, to thicken the glaze until it reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle over the cake.

If you don't want to bake with alcohol, substitute brewed coffee for the Guinness.

Add 1 ½ cups of miniature chocolate chips to the batter for a bit of texture and even more rich chocolate flavor.

Instead of the whiskey glaze, finish the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, vanilla glaze, or chocolate ganache glaze.

Loaf Cakes: If you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can bake this cake in two loaf pans. The cooking time will be about the same or slightly shorter, typically 45-50 minutes in a 350°F oven.