This Stout and Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake features six decadent layers of chocolate cake, dark ganache, and peanut butter swiss meringue buttercream.
It’s been a long week — time to relax. Pour a pint and meet the star of this Dessert Dating installment: a Stout and Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake that combines dark, full-bodied chocolate with a silky peanut butter buttercream.
Let me introduce bachelor number three. Like the others in this series, he arrives with charm and a dramatic presence: nearly six inches of rich, dark cake, a decadent silhouette of ganache, and a refined peanut butter filling that holds everything together. He’s the kind of dessert that makes an entrance and leaves a lasting impression.
I first shared a glimpse of this cake earlier this month and it immediately drew attention. Baked layers were slightly uneven at first — endearingly imperfect — but with a little attention they were dressed up into a striking, textured white-and-brown presentation with a simple floral accent. The combination felt a little Miami Vice-meets-modern patisserie: bold, stylish, and undeniably tasty.
Throughout the evening he was mostly quiet, letting his flavors speak for themselves. The stout gives the cake a deep, malty note that enhances the dark cocoa, while the peanut butter swiss meringue buttercream brings a silky, nutty contrast. Together, the textures and flavors balance perfectly: bitter-sweet chocolate, the roundness of stout, and the creamy lift of meringue buttercream.
The guests loved it. The men praised the stout’s complexity; the women admired the cake’s full package; and I’ll admit I was smitten too. Six layers of cake, ganache, and buttercream — this is one memorable dessert.
If you’d like to make this handsome cake at home, see the recipe below. Bake the layers, prepare the peanut butter swiss meringue buttercream, assemble, and enjoy. Share or keep it all to yourself — no judgment here.
More Chocolate Inspiration
Dessert Dating series and other chocolate cake ideas.
Stout and Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake
Six layers of rich chocolate infused with stout, coated in dark ganache and filled with a silky peanut butter swiss meringue buttercream.
Prep Time: 15 mins · Cook Time: 25 mins · Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 3 (three 6″ cakes)
Course: Dessert
Ingredients
- 500 ml Stout — 2 cups (Guinness recommended)
- 454 g Unsalted Butter — 4 sticks
- 175 g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder — 1 ½ cups
- 690 g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour — 4 cups
- 810 g Granulated Sugar — 4 cups
- 17 g Baking Soda — 1 tbsp
- 9 g Salt — 1 ½ tsp
- 4 large Eggs
- 425 g Sour Cream — 1 ⅓ cups
Buttercream
- 230 g Liquid egg whites — 1 cup
- 450 g Granulated sugar — 2⅓ cups
- Pinch of salt
- 454 g Unsalted butter — 2 cups, room temperature
- 120 g Smooth peanut butter — ⅔ cup
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla bean paste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare three 6″ round pans with your preferred release method.
- Cut the butter into cubes. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the stout and butter to a simmer.
- When the butter melts, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt and whisk to combine.
- Using the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sour cream until blended. Add the cooled stout-cocoa mixture and mix briefly to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Remove the bowl and fold gently with a silicone spatula until fully incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Each 6″ pan in this recipe held about 570 g of batter.
- Bake until a tester comes out clean, approximately 25 minutes (oven times vary).
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
To make the peanut butter swiss meringue buttercream:
- Ensure your mixing bowl, whisk, and utensils are completely free of grease; wipe with a clean towel and a little lemon juice or vinegar if needed.
- Fill a heavy pot with water to about one-quarter full and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Place the egg whites, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Set the bowl over the simmering water, ensuring it does not touch the water.
- Whisk constantly and gently until the mixture reaches 160°F (71°C).
- Remove the bowl from the heat, dry the base, and place it on the stand mixer. Whip with the whisk attachment until the meringue is thick, glossy, and no longer warm.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter cubes one at a time until fully incorporated and the texture is silky smooth. If the mixture looks separated, continue mixing — it will come together.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and peanut butter, and mix on low until fully combined and smooth.
- Assemble the cake: layer cake — buttercream — repeat, finish with ganache or a thin crumb coat and additional buttercream as desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Recipe adapted from the original cake posted by DesignMeACake.com. The stout enhances the depth of chocolate; use a stout you enjoy drinking for best flavor. Baking time may vary with oven and pan size.
