Baker and cookbook author Jane Dunn, known as Jane's Patisserie, has shared that Coca-Cola can be used in place of Guinness in chocolate cake to achieve a rich flavour and fudgy texture. In a TikTok video from September, she described Guinness cake as one of her personal favourite flavours, calling it simple, delicious and the best chocolate cake, especially with cream cheese frosting.
Why the swap works
Guinness deepens chocolate notes in a cake, adding subtle coffee and caramel undertones while balancing sweetness with mild bitterness. Coca-Cola can produce a similar effect by blooming the cocoa, adding caramel and spice notes, and improving the overall texture. The swap also makes the cake alcohol-free.
How to make the cake
Jane's recipe uses 175g unsalted butter, 250g light brown soft sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla, three medium eggs, 150ml Guinness or Coca-Cola, 50g cocoa powder, 250g self-raising flour and 125ml whole milk. For the topping, she uses 100g unsalted butter, 100g icing sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla, 200g cream cheese and chocolate shavings.
The method involves preheating the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and lining a two-pound loaf tin with parchment paper. The butter and sugar are beaten until creamy, then the vanilla and eggs are mixed in, followed by the Guinness or Coca-Cola. The cocoa powder and flour are added and mixed, and finally the milk is mixed through. The mixture is poured into the tin and baked for 50-60 minutes, then left to cool fully. For the topping, the butter and icing sugar are mixed, then the vanilla and cream cheese are added and beaten. The topping is spread over the cooled cake and finished with chocolate shavings.
Reception
Jane's video has been viewed over 69,500 times and received around 1,600 likes. A user named Msgt commented that they made the cake the previous weekend for their son's birthday, while another user, Elaine, wrote that it looked delicious.
