three layer cake

A chocolatey Guinness cake and ganache are layered together and covered with Baileys buttercream frosting in this luxurious Guinness Chocolate Layer Cake! The cake is super moist and fluffy and the flavors are to die for!

Guinness Chocolate Layer Cake

(260 grams) all purpose flour

(414 grams) sugar

(85 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

tsp baking soda

salt

eggs

(240 milliliters) milk

(240 milliliters) vegetable oil

vanilla

(300 milliliters) Guinness, divided

oz (1 1/2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

tbsp (60 milliliters) Guinness

tbsp (30 milliliters) heavy whipping cream

unsalted butter

(1150 grams) powdered sugar

(120 milliliters) Baileys Irish Cream

Salt,

Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).

Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and whisk together.

Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

Add one cup of Guinness and mix until well combined.

Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for 33-37 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).

Heat the Guinness and heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.

When the cakes have cooled, make the buttercream frosting. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.

Add about half of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.

Add about half of the Baileys and beat until well combined and smooth.

Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.

Add additional Baileys until it reaches the right flavor and consistency. Add salt to taste.

To build the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.

Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Brush the cake with 2 tablespoons of Guinness.

Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top of the cake layer, then pipe a dam around the outer edge, on top of the frosting.

Fill the dam with 5-6 tablespoons of chocolate ganache and spread evenly on top of the frosting.

Add the second layer of cake on top and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Guinness.

Add another layer of frosting and chocolate ganache, then top the cake with the final layer of cake.

Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting. Feel free to use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake.

Use the remaining chocolate ganache to drizzle around the outside of the cake. Feel free to use my tutorial for how to make a chocolate drip cake. Pipe swirls of frosting around the outer edge of the cake to finish it off.

Store cake in an airtight container. It&#8217;s best if eaten within 4-5 days.

This was a big hit for my son’s 40th birthday! I had a bag of Baileys chocolate chips for the ganache. The cake had a nice texture and was very moist. Everyone loved the yummy Baileys buttercream. I made this a week ahead and froze it to save time, and it was perfect.

Recipe video above. With three layers of soft, fluffy Vanilla Cake slathered with My Favourite Chocolate Frosting, this is the Birthday Cake I always wished I had as a kid. The kind every “normal” kid seemed to get, and I was quietly jealous of! The frosting is totally dreamy - rich chocolate flavour, way less sweet than buttercream, completely smooth, it tastes like the best chocolate mousse you&#39;ve ever had. The perfect all-rounder - spread, layer, pipe tall swirls, stays creamy even when refrigerated, rich but not overly so. Finish your cake with a generous shower of sprinkles. Because, birthdays! 🎉

Birthday Cake

plain / all purpose flour ((Note 1))

baking powder

caster / superfine sugar ((granulated/regular ok too, Note 2))

milk (, full fat (Note 5))

tsp vanilla extract

tsp vegetable oil

dark chocolate chips

thickened cream

salt salt

/ 7 tbsp unsalted butter (, softened)

(250 grams) soft icing sugar sugar

thickened cream / heavy cream (, for whipping, fridge cold (Note 7))

Vanilla cake - Beat eggs and sugar until triple in volume, fold in flour. Temper hot milk and butter with bit of batter, then slowly beat into cake batter. Bake in 3 pans for 23 minutes, cool inverted then frost.

My Favourite Chocolate Frosting - Bloom cocoa, mix into melted chocolate. Cream butter, beat in icing sugar, then cream cheese and chocolate mixture. Fridge 2 hours. Whip with cream. Use immediately.

ABBREVIATED

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes before starting the batter (Note 11). Place shelf in the middle of the oven.

Pans - Grease 3 x 20cm / 8” cake pans with butter, then line with parchment / baking paper. Best to use cake pan without a loose base, if you can, as the batter is quite thin. (Note 12)

Dry ingredients - Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Beat eggs until triple - Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or hand beater. With the beater still going, pour in the sugar over 45 seconds, then beat on speed 8 for 7 minutes until the eggs triple in volume and become white.

Heat Milk-Butter - While egg is beating, place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high until the milk is hot and butter is melted (or use stove). Don&#39;t let the milk boil over.

Add flour in 3 batches - When the egg is whipped, add the flour in 3 batches beating for 5 seconds on Speed 1 in between. Once all the flour is in, beat for another 5 - 10 seconds until you can&#39;t see any flour, then stop beating straight away.

Combine milk, vanilla &amp; oil with batter - Pour hot milk, vanilla and oil into the now empty flour bowl. Add about 1 1/2 cups of cake batter into the hot milk bowl (no need to be 100% accurate with amount). Whisk vigorously using a handheld whisk until smooth and a bit foamy.

Slowly beat in milk - Turn beater back on Speed 1 then pour the Milk mixture into the cake batter over 15 seconds, then turn beater off.

Scrape and final mix - Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds - batter should now be smooth and pourable.

FULL RECIPE

Divide batter between three pans (370g / 13 oz batter per pan). Bang each cake pan on the counter 3 times to knock out big bubbles (Note 13).

Bake 23 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.

Bake:

Cool - Remove pans from oven. Cool in cake pans for 15 minutes, then gently turn out onto cooling racks. Cool upside down - slight dome will flatten perfectly. Level cake = neat layers.

Refrigerate - Once fully cool on the counter, refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting (makes it easier to frost as cake is firmer when cold).

Frost - Use the cake layers upside for flat surfaces. Spread 1 cup Chocolate Frosting on each layer, then frost the sides and surface generously. Use leftover frosting to pipe decorative swirls on the top.

Sprinkle! Decorate with sprinkles as desired. How I decorate the base - place sprinkles around the base, then use a butter knife to scoop them up and press onto the sides. See video for visual demo.

Cool &amp; frost:

Bloom cocoa – Heat the cream in a heatproof bowl until hot but make sure it doesn&#39;t come to a boil. Add cocoa powder and whisk until lump free – it will be like a thin paste. Set aside 5 minutes to bloom (brings out chocolate flavour).

Melt chocolate – Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave in bursts until smooth – 30 seconds on high, stir, then 20 second increments.

Chocolate paste – Add the cocoa paste into the melted chocolate. Whisk until combined and smooth, it will be like a thin paste. Cool for 15 minutes on the counter – it will thicken. Don&#39;t worry if a skin forms on the surface, it will beat out in the next step.

Cream cheese whip – In a separate large bowl, beat butter with a handheld mixer until soft and fluffy (about 1 1/2 minutes on high). Add icing sugar and beat until sandy and no large butter lumps remain (~ 30 seconds). Add cream cheese and beat until smooth and creamy (~30 seconds), stopping once no yellow butter bits remain.

Beat in chocolate – Add all the chocolate paste and beat until combined. Taste. Yum!

Refrigerate – Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours until properly fridge-cold (stick the beaters in the bowl). You can leave it in the fridge at this point for days.

Fluff frosting – Remove bowl from the fridge. Add the 1/2 cup of cream. Beat on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until you have stiff peaks (ie upright Santa hats, not floppy elf hat). The frosting should be beautifully creamy like buttercream but fluffy like whipped cream. Use immediately (see My Favourite Chocolate Frosting full recipe for notes on keeping, shelf life, etc)

Chocolate Frosting:

Love this set of images of a lucky boy enjoying all the fuss. :) 
My fav birthday cake to make is your very best vanilla- will have to give this one a try next!

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Guinness Chocolate Layer Cake

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