There are essentially two top recipes for Guinness Gingerbread that I've seen. If you have easy access to golden syrup, then you can try Nigella Lawson's recipe. I don't even know what golden syrup is, so I went with the recipe from Gramercy Tavern, which uses the more familiar ingredient to me, molasses...
(Fine Cooking has a cupcake adaptation of the Gramercy Tavern recipe, which is essentially half the recipe, with the addition of minced candied ginger to the batter, plus Lime Frosting.)
The original recipe for Guinness Gingerbread from Gramercy Tavern is written to yield a 10-inch bundt cake. I don't have a bundt pan and didn't want to buy one for one cake, never to be used again. Or potentially tempting me to bake even more, which I just can't afford. Financially, nor ass-ly.
So, I halved the recipe and baked the gingerbread in an 8-inch round springform pan, very heavily greased with butter, floured, and lined with parchment paper. I toyed with the idea of serving the cake with a whiskey-spiked mascarpone cream because doesn't that just sound so right?! And that's it. I toyed with it, then I got lazybusy and ended up with simple, very subtly sweetened whipped cream.
The Guinness Gingerbread recipe is re-printed below in its original form, almost entirely as it is found on epicurious.com, with my notes in italics.
Guinness Gingerbread {recipe}
serves 8-12
INGREDIENTS
1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout
1 cup dark molasses, not blackstrap
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cardamom (TDL note: didn't have cardamom, used allspice)
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
confectioners sugar for dusting
whipped cream
The Delicious Life addition: candied ginger
Special Equipment
a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan (The Delicious Life's half-ass version in an 8-inch round springform pan)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
(The Delicious Life note: I also lined the bottom of my springform pan with a round of parchment paper and buttered/floured that, too. You can never be too greased and floured when there's molasses involved, y'know?)
Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Serve cake, dusted with confectioners sugar, with whipped cream.
(The Delicious Life note: I also added a piece of candied ginger to each piece.)
Epicurious Cooks' notes:
- ...tested with Grandma's brand green-label molasses.
- ...gingerbread is better if made a day ahead. It will keep 3 days, covered, at room temperature.
More Gingerbread Recipes
- Guinness Gingerbread recipe by Nigella Lawson in Nigella Kitchen cookbook
- Guinness Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lime Frosting recipe by David Lebovitz on FineCooking.com
- Guinness Gingerbread Cake recipe by America's Test Kitchen on kcet.org
- Gingerbread (no Guinness) recipe by America's Test Kitchen, in the Baking Illustrated cookbook
Vespa Woolf says
What a beautiful and tasty idea! We have a sweet stout here that would work well. Can't wait to try this!
Joy says
Mmmm, I can almost taste it! Would it work without the beer, using something else instead? I don't often have beer on hand, so if something else wold work in its stead, that would be a lot easier.
Sarah J. Gim says
Hey Joy! I am not sure how the chemistry of something other than beer would work in this recipe... If you don't have beer on hand, I would try the Gingerbread recipe from the Baking Illustrated cookbook (link above). No beer, though it does use buttermilk! (which I never seem to have on hand!)
lia says
I make this frequently using two standard loaf pans. One to keep and one for a gift. Will try next time with the loaf pan AND a springform. So pretty that way.
Sarah J. Gim says
Too generous. If I made two loaves of gingerbread, um... I'd eat them both ha. :)
Ellen says
Funny, I just made gingerbread too! I used the cook's illustrated recipe which was goooood but I should make this so I have an excuse to buy cream and whiskey to top it.
Sarah J. Gim says
Hey Ellen! Is the Cook's Illustrated recipe for gingerbread the same as the one printed in the Baking Illustrated cookbook? If so, I've made it before, too and LOVE it!
Ellen says
Yes, it was the Baking Illustrated, that is what I meant! That book is worth it's weight in butter. Well, it's worth more than that really but butter sounded better...
Melissa says
Sounds really good!
Matt says
Yum. I can't wait to try this out. Any pointers for someone baking at High Alt? CO
gingervillage says
I like gingerbread men. And women. And children. One day I will bake a gingerbread village and eat them all. With a shot of whiskey marscapone creme. It takes a village (of ginger) to fill me up.
H.C. says
Ha, I found this recipe in Nigella's Kitchen cookbook and made it in November; instead of golden syrup I split the difference between maple syrup & honey. I loved the result, though will ramp up on the sweet spices next time I make it.
Jenn and Seth says
i made a gingerbread cake just a few weeks ago and now i am totally craving it again! this guinness version sounds amazing, and i am definitely foreseeing it being baked very soon
Shea says
makes me wish i didn't have a gluten allergy... looks soooooo yummy! #agirlcandream
Justin Chao says
Looks good! I like the candied ginger. So pretty in the whipped cream.
Anne Salter says
in case you decide to try the recipe with golden syrup: it's similar to corn syrup and can be found at the grocery store next to corn syrup; however, it's imported from England and is not cheap - $4 for a small jar.
Ashley Walker says
I know that this was posted four years ago, so I apologize for needing to ask for clarification. The gingerbread looks delicious, and I'd like to halve the recipe as well to make it in an 8x8 pan. Do you remember how many eggs you used? The original recipe calls for 3, so I'm not sure whether to use 1, 2, or something in between. Thanks!!
TheDelicious says
Hi Ashley! thanks for asking! For my halved version, I used 1 egg and 1 yolk! I figured the fat from the addition of just the yolk wouldn't hurt :)
Ryan Goodwin says
Love this recipe. The intensity of the spices. New Christmas tradition right here. I compete with my Mom on Bundt Cakes and I'm thinking this could potentially be the victory this year. I used a 6-cup bundt and recorded my process if anyone needs video. https://craftlog.com/us/cooking/gramercy-tavern-gingerbread-cake-SfmZ