Guinness Ice Cream Cake

A few weeks ago I inherited a half-gallon of Moorenko’s Guinness ice cream after a BBQ at a friend’s house. The BBQ was held on the night of the crazy derecho that whipped through DC, so we got WAY too distracted watching the storm and forgot to eat any of the amazing ice cream that was at the party. Moorenko’s doesn’t tend to last long at a party because it is that good, so I was really happy to get gifted an entire container of it! And when I realized it was their Guinness ice cream, I knew exactly what I needed to do with it…

Guinness Ice Cream Cake!!

Admittedly, it took me a little bit of time to figure out what my exact plan was going to be for this cake. I knew that I wanted it to be a Guinness chocolate cake, topped with the Guinness ice cream. But I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted it look like: two cake layers, frosting, etc… But I decided to keep it simple and cover the cake with a thin layer of chocolate ganache flavored with Bailey’s.

This cake was a total hit this weekend at a Guinness-themed dinner party, and it was devoured pretty quickly. Friends of mine who typically shy away from cake or only have a few bites devoured entire slices of cake and even asked for seconds! I have a feeling it’s going to have to make more appearances soon!

Click below for the recipe! 🙂

Guinness Ice Cream Cake:

Yield: 1 10-inch cake (approximately 24 small servings)

For the Guinness cake:

Begin by assembling your ingredients.

You are going to need:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle of Guinness, at room temperature
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sour cream

You are also going to need:

• Cake pan and springform (cheesecake) pan of identical sizes
• Baking spray, like Pam
• Bake-even strips, optional (these help your cake cook in the center while ensuring the sides don’t dry out)

First, pre-heat your oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, begin by stirring together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a fork or whisk and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the beer, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined, and then add the sour cream.

With the mixture on low, slowly add the sugar and the flour mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spray your cake pan with baking spray (or butter and flour). Fill approximately 2/3-full with the cake batter. You will have excess batter, so you can either make 2 9-inch cakes or use the excess batter to make cupcakes. 🙂

If using, wet bake-even strips and place around cake pan.

Bake the cake in your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool in the pan for approximately 10 minutes.

Invert on to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the cake cool to room temperature.

For the ganache:

Begin by assembling your ingredients.

You are going to need:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur, like Bailey’s

Place all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl or a double boiler over simmering water.

Heat until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

Begin by gathering the pieces of the cake.

You are going to need:

• Fully cooled cake layer
• Approximately one quart of ice cream, warmed in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour so that it’s soft enough to spread (I’m not sure what other brands make Guinness ice cream, but check your local Whole Foods or specialty grocery store. If you can’t find Guinness ice cream, you can make your own or sub another flavor.)
• Springform (cheesecake) pan of the same as your cake pan
• Chocolate ganache

First, carefully place the layer of cake in to the bottom of the springform pan. You can do this by either dropping the cake straight in the pan (very carefully!), or by unmolding the pan, placing the cake on the bottom, and then re-assembling the pan.

Next, spread the layer of ice cream on top of the cake. Use a spatula to evenly distribute the ice cream. The cake should mostly fill the pan but not overflow!

Place the cake in the freezer for at least one hour to allow the ice cream to harder again. Once the cake is fully frozen, remove from the freezer.

To unmold, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan.  Remove the outer ring.

Cover the top of the cake with the ganache, and return to the freezer until ready to serve.

To serve, remove from the freezer and let warm at room temperature for about 15 minutes. If transporting, place the ring back around the cake and cover the bottom and top of the pan with tin foil. Transport in a cooler, preferably.

Enjoy!! 😀

Thankfully, I managed to sneak a piece away and snap a photo before it got devoured!

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below! And thanks for reading! 🙂