Honestly what’s better than a great Bundt cake? Totally easy to make – no faffing and fussing about with layers and frosting and crumb coating. I adore cakes of this nature, and am sort of slowing going about filling MKL up with as many as I possibly cam cram into this space, without overwhelming things. Just kidding. That’s impossible! Just like monsters under the bed, there is no such thing as too much cake. This easy Chocolate Guinness Bundt Cake is killer y’all, it’s great. I think you’re going to love it like I do.

In This Post

Like easy recipes? Yeah, me too. Follow along over on IG to keep up with all we’re dishing out each day.

What is a Bundt Cake?

“Bundt” is a word invented and trademarked by Dave Dalquist, the pan’s designer. The name was derived from the German word bundkuchen, meaning “a cake for a gathering.” Dalquist added the ‘T’ so he could trademark the name.
Norway House

So, a Bundt cake really refers to the pan in which the cake is baked, yes? Yes. There is no way you’ve made your way through this world without ever laying eyes on as Bundt cake. They’re everywhere, they’re always appropriate, they’re easy and extremely popular. That tubular shape with it’s light fluting is such an approachable, cozy sight, I think.

If you don’t have one, now’s the time to go out and get yourself a nice Bundt pan. So you can make this here Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake and also my Cheesecake Stuffed Irish Cream Cake or my Sweet Cream Cornmeal Pound Cake.

What is a Bundt Pan?

A Bundt pan is a thick-walled baking pan that has a distinctive curved pattern and a hollow tube in the middle. Cakes rise and bake more evenly, thanks to the heavily walled pans. And the very effective heat conduction and hollowed center help cakes bake evenly. This effect contributes to Bundt cakes’ golden crusts.

You’ll typically see things like coffee cakes and pound cakes made in these pans, which are also referred to sometimes as, “tube pans.”

Tips and Tricks for Bundt Cake success

As with all manner of baking, you can make your way toward a hugely successful, extra sweet ending with this Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake, so long as you simply follow the instructions. When you’re cooking any of my recipes here on this site, I always encourage you to color outside of the lines I’ve drawn. You do you, friend. That’s one of the coolest things about home cooking, in fact. You can play around with chicken recipes, seafood skillets, simple soups, meatballs, meaty braises, and tacos. Recipes shape shift as they’re passed from one kitchen to the next. Jumping from my keyboard to your screens and then on and on … and so it goes ad infinitum.

But, not with baking. No, when we’re baking things – we really need to stick to the script. You know, because science and all. If you mess with proportions/quantities or decide to last-minute swap one thing for another. You could go from light and fluffy, moist, perfectly sweetened chocolate cake to dense, dead-tasting moosh in a hurry. No one wants this!

Tip #1 STICK TO THE RECIPE

And you’re well on your way to cake heaven.

Tip #2 GREASE YOUR PAN!

My favorite way to do this is to get all up in there with my hands and some butter. Coat every square inch of the Bundt pan with a thin layer of butter and then sprinkle in a bit of flour (maybe 2 tablespoons or so). Rap your pan on the counter a bit and roll it around so the flour falls and dusts the whole surface. Et voila! You’ve got a buttered and floured pan.

Now, If your Bundt pan is new, then it’s probably going to work well for you and you might be able to get away with a good quality nonstick spray. But I like insurance and buttering and flouring are like taking out an insurance policy for your cake’s removal. It’s just smart and guarantees smooth sailing.

Tip #3 Don’t rush it! COOL OFF FIRST

Speaking of clean cake removal, in addition to greasing the pan, it’s important to let the cake cool down a lot before even thinking about trying to get it out. Hot cakes just don’t want to be moved – which seems fair. They’re all warm and cozy in their little post-bake state and if you try and sudden moves well, you’re probably going to be looking at some stickage. By that I mean, some of the cake is going to stay put in the pan. Yikes. No one wants this. So, give it a good 20 minutes to cool on the counter, run a knife around the edges (both inside and outside) and then flip it over. It should slide out easily for you.

What You’ll Need

This cake isn’t some ordinary, run-of-the-mill thang. NO WAY am I bestowing upon the Internet another one of those. This cake, my friends, is special. The butter is browned, the vanilla is screaming at you, the chocolate is tripled. There is beer. Everything about this recipe was done with intent, and tested to ensure that it actually works like I say it does.

Here’s the actual list for you:

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup Guinness Stout Beer

3/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons Nutella (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt

2 ¼ cups sugar

2/3 cup sour cream

2 large eggs + 1 yolk, beaten

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2½ teaspoons baking soda

Powdered Sugar for dusting (lots of it) or my easy Chocolate Mirror Glaze

How to make this Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake

This cake is sort of funny. Good funny, though. Don’t worry. The whole batter essentially comes together right on the stovetop, in a big pot. I hadn’t planned on that method when I initially began testing this recipe, but lo and behold, that’s what ended up happening.

We’ll begin with browned butter, and end with something deeply, almost sinfully chocolatey. Here’s how we do it:

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Butter and flour a standard Bundt pan.
Add the butter to a large pot set over medium heat. Allow it to melt and then continue cooking until the milk solids have just browned, and it smells nutty; takes about 4 to 5 minutes past the initial melting point. Add the Guinness, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, Nutella (if using), and salt. Stir/whisk to fully mix. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and sour cream, still whisking to ensure even mixing.
Add a couple tablespoons of the warm batter to the beaten eggs to temper them (keep them from scrambling), and then add the eggs to the pot of batter, along with the vanilla, stirring/whisking very well to blend (you can stir as much as you want until you add the flour)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add this mixture to the warm batter and stir just until everything is evenly mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Rap/drop the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until just done in the center – until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool almost completely before running a knife around the edges to loosen and then inverting onto a platter or platter.
Dust with tons of powdered sugar or some powdered sugar-sweetened sour cream (trust me!). Or you can top with my easy (gelatin free) mirror glaze.