Guinness Chocolate Sheet Cake
Welp, it’s official…
This is the best chocolate sheet cake in existence. Okay, so I haven’t tried all the chocolate sheet cakes that have ever been created, but I’m fairly certain this would be in the top 3. Plus, there’s beer in it…how can you go wrong there?
Oh, and cue the influx of Guinness-related recipes in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! This one may be even better than last year’s brownies!
Is it not ridiculous and awesome that we have reduced a holiday that was once a feast to honor the patron saint of Ireland, to a day of unapologetic drinking? Hooray!
Actually, that’s not entirely wrong. It kinda *is* a day of unapologetic drinking, because traditionally, if you wore green on St. Patrick’s Day, you could forgo your Lent restrictions and eat and drink as you please!
But this cake…
It’s crazy moist and chocolate-y, and way too addictive. The best part though? The icing. Oh. My. Gawd. It is fantastic! It sets perfectly smooth and dry to the touch, but it’s still so creamy when you bite into it. It will now be topping every cake I ever make. It’s rich chocolate-y with a hint of Guinness—basically it mirrors the flavors of the cake, with a different texture.
Remember when I vowed to make more sheet cakes? See, I’m trying to make good on that!
One last thing that has absolutely nothing to do with this cake, but you *need* to know…If you haven’t watched Tina Fey’s new Netflix series, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, you need to get on that ASAP. Mikey and I just started watching it, and it’s freakin’ hilarious. Ellie Kemper does a fantastic job playing a girl who was trapped in an underground bunker in a cult for 15 years of her life, who is then rescued and moves to NYC and tries to fumble her way through a world she knows nothing about. It will cause loud, obnoxious laughter to spew from your body 😀
PrintGuinness Chocolate Sheet Cake
Yield: about 2 servings (depending on how you cut it)
Ingredients:
for the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup Guinness beer (or other Irish stout)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
for the icing:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup Guinness beer (or other Irish stout)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 cups confectioner's sugar
- sprinkles, to decorate (optional)
Directions:
for the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12"x17" sheet pan witha silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
- In a small saucepan, add the Guinness and butter, and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add in the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer for 1 minute, then pour over the flour mixture and mix to combine. Allow to cool slightly.
- Pour the buttermilk into a large measuring cup. Add in the eggs, baking soda, and vanilla, and beat with a fork. Pour into the batter and stir to fully combine. Pour the batter into the sheet pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
for the frosting:
- While the cake is baking, make the frosting. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the cocoa and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add in the Guinness and vanilla. Add in the confectioners' sugar and stir super well to fully break up any clumps.
- Pour the chocolate icing over the warm cake and spread it quickly to fully cover. If you want, add some sprinkles, to decorate. Allow to set, then cut into squares.
recipe adapted from here
