Introducing my ridiculously rich and fudgy Gluten-free Chocolate Stout Cake (or a gluten-free chocolate Guinness cake, if you will!) See the FAQ for advice on adapting this to other dietary requirements.
My gluten-free chocolate stout cake recipe is perfect for anyone who:
- is a Bake Off fan, saw this being made in this week’s episode but thought it would be impossible to make gluten-free
- generally misses a Guinness and can’t believe there’s a gluten-free equivalent
- is just a person who likes chocolate cake and isn’t particularly bothered by either of the above
So if any of those apply, then you’ve come to the right place!
This one was inspired by the most recent episode of The Great British Bake Off. I haven’t watched it in quite a while… but tell me Nigella is on and I’m there! As much as I love watching Bake Off, 9 times out of 10 there isn’t much happening in that tent that’s gluten-free; so, to counterbalance that, I’m going to be sharing one bake inspired by the show each week, made entirely gluten-free. And this seemed like a pretty good place to start.
(Also, if you fancy a gluten-free coffee cake as featured on that episode, I hope you already know my recipe for that is here!)
It also gave me the perfect excuse to finally bake with (what I refer to as) gluten-free Guinness: Campervan Brewery Extra Black Nitro Porter. It’s a dark, gluten-free beer with roasted coffee and chocolate flavours, so you can probably understand why I immediately wanted to pour some into a chocolate cake!
Why you’ll love my Gluten-free Chocolate Stout Cake
- It’s ridiculously moist, fudgy and chocolatey! This isn’t like a chocolate Victoria sponge at all. It’s rich, soft and fluffy with that lovely squidgy crumb that makes a chocolate cake feel properly indulgent.
- The stout makes the chocolate taste even deeper and richer. You get those roasted, malty, almost nutty flavours in the background without the finished cake tasting like you’ve simply poured a pint into it.
- The cream cheese frosting is the perfect match. It’s sweet, fluffy, creamy and slightly tangy, which is exactly what you need sitting on top of such a rich chocolate cake. Plus, that dark cake and white topping definitely has a little pint of Guinness thing going on!
- It’s gluten free, but nobody would ever know. That means one cake that everyone (including you, most importantly!) can enjoy, entirely avoiding that awkward moment where you just have to sit and watch everyone eat cake.
Ingredients for my Gluten-free Chocolate Stout Cake
For the cake, the most important ingredient is obviously the dark beer. As a gluten-free Guinness, I use Campervan Brewery Extra Black Nitro Porter, which is exactly the sort of dark, roasty beer I wanted here. I simply bought it online the day after watching the episode and it was with me by Friday!
Then there’s plenty of cocoa powder, plus both caster sugar and light brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a little extra caramel-like depth, which works really nicely alongside all those roasted flavours.
The sour cream helps keep everything incredibly moist and rich, whilst the gluten-free plain flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda give the cake enough structure and lift without turning it into an average sponge cake.
For the frosting, it’s simply butter, icing sugar, full-fat cream cheese and vanilla. It’s thick, creamy and fluffy, with just enough tang to cut through all that rich chocolate underneath. It’s exactly the same cream cheese frosting as I’ve used in my previous books.
How to make my Gluten-free Chocolate Stout Cake
- Start by gently heating your Extra Black and butter together in a saucepan until the butter has completely melted. Take it off the heat, and pour it into a large bowl containing the sifted cocoa powder and both sugars. Whisk until combined.
- Separately, whisk together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla, then add that to your chocolatey stout mixture. Mix your flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in another bowl, then bring everything together until smooth.
- Pour the batter into your prepared springform tin and bake until risen and cooked through. This is a deep, moist cake, so when you poke a skewer into the centre, a few moist crumbs are fine – you just don’t want wet cake batter clinging to it.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, make your cream cheese frosting and generously spread it all over the top. No piping required here: a few big swooshes with the back of a spoon or palette knife are more than enough!
A few tips before you start
First up, don’t let the gluten-free stout actually boil and bubble when melting the butter in it. Just keep it low enough enough until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally.
I’d also recommend sifting the cocoa powder before mixing it in. Cocoa loves hiding little dry lumps in cakes whenever it gets the opportunity!
Don’t panic if your cake cracks across the top whilst baking either. It’s a deep cake and the middle continues rising after the surface has started to set, so a crack or two is nothing to worry about. Plus, you’re covering the whole thing in frosting anyway.
Most importantly, make sure the cake is completely cool before you frost it. Even a slightly warm sponge can soften all that butter and cream cheese, at which point your lovely fluffy topping will start escaping over the edges.
Storage and leftovers
Because of the cream cheese frosting, keep this cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I definitely prefer eating it once it’s had a little time to come back towards room temperature, though. The sponge softens, the frosting becomes creamier and the whole thing just tastes that little bit more freshly baked and iced.
You can also bake and freeze the unfrosted cake ahead of time. Just allow it to cool completely, wrap it well and freeze, then defrost thoroughly before frosting.
Recipe tips, swaps and FAQs
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yes! For the cake, use a hard dairy-free alternative to butter. Then, instead of the sour cream, use:
- 140ml dairy-free milk mixed with 2 tsp lemon juice and leave it to stand for 10–15 minutes until it thickens slightly and looks a little lumpy; it may thicken or look slightly curdled depending on the milk.
- Oh, and ensure the cocoa powder you’re using is dairy-free.
For the frosting, use a hard dairy-free alternative to butter and a thick dairy-free cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese has plenty of body to it, otherwise the frosting can end up much softer than intended.
Can I make this vegan?
Yes! Follow all of the dairy-free swaps above, then replace the two eggs with flax eggs made from:
- 2 tbsp milled flaxseed
- 6 tbsp water
Mix them together and leave them to thicken for 10 minutes before using in place of the eggs. Of course, this makes the recipe egg-free.
Please note I haven’t tested this swap specifically in this recipe, but it’s my go-to egg replacer when I need it.
Can I make this low in lactose or lactose-free?
Yep, easily! Given that butter is already very naturally low in lactose, the swaps you need to make are:
- Instead of sour cream: use 140ml lactose-free milk mixed with 2 tsp lemon juice and leave it to stand for 10–15 minutes; depending on the milk, it should thicken or look slightly curdled.
- Instead of cream cheese: use lactose-free cream cheese (drain any liquid on top before using, if there is any)
That would make it very low in lactose, rather than lactose-free by definition.
Is this low FODMAP?
If you follow the lactose-free guidance above, most of the ingredients in this cake are compatible with a low FODMAP diet in appropriate serving sizes. However, I can’t confidently label the finished cake as low FODMAP because the gluten-free Guinness I use, Extra Black, hasn’t been tested by Monash for its FODMAP content. Your choice of gluten-free flour blend can matter too.
If you’re following the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet, always check the latest Monash FODMAP app and consider your individual tolerance to alcohol.
What gluten-free stout did you use?
I used Campervan Brewery Extra Black Nitro Porter as my gluten-free Guinness.
Technically it’s a porter rather than a stout, but it’s exactly the dark, smooth and roasted style of beer I wanted for this cake and the closest we can get as far as I know.
Is it actually gluten-free Guinness?
Not in the sense that it is literally Guinness brand and gluten-free. Extra Black is made by Campervan Brewery and isn’t a Guinness product.
But gluten-free Guinness is a pretty good shorthand for what I’d been looking for: something dark, smooth and roasty that fits the bill whilst actually being gluten-free.
Does the cake taste like beer?
From my perspective, not at all!
The beer becomes part of the overall chocolate flavour, giving it extra roasted, malty depth and a nutty note in the background. It tastes much more like a particularly deep, intense chocolate cake rather than a boozy bake.
Can I use another gluten-free stout or porter?
Yes, if you can find one, though obviously another beer will naturally give you a slightly different result.
I’d stick to something dark and roasty rather than anything pale or particularly fruity. But Extra Black is what I developed and tested the recipe with, so that’s my first choice.
Why use both caster sugar and light brown sugar?
Caster sugar gives you sweetness and structure, whilst light brown sugar adds a little more depth and helps give the cake that softer, fudgier character. This cake was reversed-engineered from my chocolate fudge cake in my first book (which also uses both sugars) in conjunction with Nigella’s chocolate Guinness cake recipe, in case you were wondering!
What tin did you use?
I used a 23cm springform deep cake tin for this. Any smaller and the cake can take longer to bake in the oven. Much bigger and you might end up with a wider, flatter chocolate pancake-cake!
A springform tin is particularly handy here because you can simply release the sides once the cake is cool instead of attempting to turn a big, moist chocolate cake upside down.
Can I taste the sour cream?
No, not at all in my opinion. It mainly helps make the cake incredibly moist and rich, whilst adding just a subtle tang that balances all the chocolate and sugar.
Why did my cake crack on top?
Don’t panic! Because this is a deep cake, the top can set whilst the centre is still expanding. The middle then pushes upwards and can create a crack in the surface.
Fortunately, cream cheese frosting is also extremely effective at hiding evidence.
How do I know when the cake is baked?
Start checking it from around 42–45 minutes.
Poke a skewer right into the centre. A few moist crumbs are absolutely fine, but if there’s glossy, wet cake batter smeared onto it, give the cake another few minutes before checking again. Remember not to keep opening and closing the oven door any more than you have to.
Can I make this the day before?
Absolutely! You can bake the cake, allow it to cool completely and then frost it either later that day or the following day.
Once frosted, keep it covered in the fridge and let it sit out for a little while before serving so the cake and frosting can soften slightly.
Why is my cream cheese frosting too soft and loose?
Firstly, make sure your cake is completely cold before frosting it.
Also check your cream cheese for any excess liquid and drain it away before using. And definitely use full-fat cream cheese; lower-fat versions are generally much softer and can leave you with frosting that doesn’t hold its shape nearly as well.
Gluten-free Chocolate Stout Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 250 ml gluten-free stout (see FAQ section for link)
- 175 g butter
- 75 g cocoa powder sifted
- 200 g caster sugar
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 150 ml sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 275 g gluten-free plain flour
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 150 g butter softened
- 150 g icing sugar
- 300 g full-fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) / 180°C and prepare a deep 23cm circular springform tin by greasing and lining the base with non-stick baking paper.
- Pour the stout into a large saucepan and add the butter. Place over a low heat until the butter has completely melted, ensuring that the mixture doesn't boil, then remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift in the cocoa powder, then add the caster sugar and light brown sugar. Add the melted stout mixture and whisk together until well combined and smooth.
- In a large jug, add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk together until smooth. Pour this into the stout mixture and whisk once more until everything is well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the gluten-free plain flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix together.
- Add your dry ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk briefly until smooth and well combined. Make sure there aren't any lumps or pockets of flour, but don't overmix it either. I used an electric hand whisk for this part.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place into the preheated oven for around 45–50 minutes until risen and cooked through. I'd recommend checking it from around the 42–45 minute mark as all ovens vary.
- Check that the cake is finished by poking a skewer into the centre; you're looking for a few moist crumbs, but there shouldn't be any wet cake batter clinging to it. As this is a particularly moist, fudgy cake, don't worry if the skewer isn't completely spotless!Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before carefully removing it. Don't be tempted to frost it whilst it's still warm or your cream cheese frosting will quickly become very soft.
- Whilst the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. I use a stand mixer for this part, but an electric hand whisk and a large bowl will do the job just fine too.
- Place the softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on a medium speed for about 5 minutes until considerably paler in colour.
- Add the icing sugar and mix for a further 5 minutes. Before adding the cream cheese, make sure there isn't any excess liquid in the tub and drain it if necessary.
- Add the cream cheese and vanilla extract, then mix for a further 2–3 minutes until well combined, light and fluffy.
- Once the cake has completely cooled, spread a generous layer of cream cheese frosting all over the top, leaving the sides uncovered. You might not need every last bit of frosting, so simply add as much as you fancy.
- Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
