Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

March 17: Feast Day of St. Patrick

Slainte! Of all the booze we bake with, Bailey’s is our favorite. The flavor of this Irish cream liqueur is milder than the other alcoholic beverages that we stock in our cabinet. The cream adds a sweet balance to the strong whiskey. Bailey’s is also good “on the rocks,” added as a shot in coffee or hot chocolate and infused as an ingredient in recipes, such as cakes. Highlander most often requests a “Bailey’s birthday cake” from Islander and he takes it to the office to share with his co-workers.

In the “spirit” of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, we baked a Bailey’s cake. More Irish cream liqueur in the frosting enhances the flavor for a festive St. Patrick’s Day dessert.

Recipe

(Adapted from Duncan Hines)

Ingredients

• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee (we used Muvaldi brand Kona instant coffee)
• ½ cup Irish cream liqueur (we used Bailey’s brand but Carolans and St. Brendan’s may be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we used Hawaiian Vanilla Company brand)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 box (18.25 ounces) Duncan Hines brand butter recipe golden cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter (we used Kerrygold brand pure Irish unsalted), softened
• 2 quantities Bailey’s Irish cream frosting (see the recipe from a past blog post here)
• 1-2 ounces (1-2 squares) semi-sweet chocolate (we used Baker’s brand), melted
• chocolate-covered coffee beans (we used Island Princess brand)

Directions

Prepare the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee in boiling water. When cool, pour in the Irish cream liqueur. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Prepare the rest of the cake ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and vanilla instant pudding mix. Add the coffee mixture. Beat in the eggs with the butter until smooth and well blended.

Pour the batter in a greased baking pan (we used a 10-inch round cake pan). Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Transfer the cake to a platter or cake board.

Make the frosting.  Generously spread the top of the cake and sides. Drizzle melted chocolate on top of the cake in a criss-cross pattern.

Use extra frosting to pipe swirls on top of the cake (we used Wilton tip 1M). Pipe borders on the bottom of the cake (we used Wilton star tip 18). Finish the cake by garnishing the swirls with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Notes

• Instead of chocolate, melt green candy wafers to add an emerald color to the cake for St. Patrick’s Day. Also, substitue the chocolate-covered coffee beans for green M&Ms to match.
• Search our blog for more St. Patrick’s Day recipes.

Italian Cream Cupcakes

March 13, 2013: Election of Pope Francis I

Habemus papam—we have a pope! Congratulations to Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who was elected as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on March 13, 2013. This is a significant event for the billions of Catholics worldwide as the church struggles to stay grounded in Christian morality in a predominantly secular society, deal with scandals and controversy, continue its rich historical traditions, grow in modern times and still keep the faith.

Succeeding Pope Benedict XVI, the first retired pope, Francis I is a Jesuit priest of Italian immigrant parents in Argentina, whose papal name was taken after St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of Italy. Before first blessing those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on the night of his election, Pope Francis asked that they pray for him. He surely needs our prayers, as being head of the church is not an easy task.

While baking Italian cream cupcakes for a pope prayer party for Islander’s brother’s students, we prayed that the Holy See is made an instrument of the Lord’s peace during his tenure as pope. We topped the cupcakes with tiny Vatican flags instead of a pecan for a festive Francis food. May God bless Pope Francis!

Recipe

(Adapted from Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn)

For the Italian cream cupcakes

• 1 box (18.25 ounces) yellow, white or French vanilla cake mix (we recommend Duncan Hines brand)
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons coconut flavoring
• 1 cup flaked coconut, sweetened
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Blend well until smooth.

Mix in the coconut flavoring. Fold in the flaked coconut and chopped pecans.

Scoop the batter into 24 cupcake papers lining a muffin pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks. Prepare the frosting.

For the coconut and cream cheese frosting

• 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (we used clear vanilla flavoring)
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1+ tablespoons water or milk (optional)
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• pecan half (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the butter until well blended with the cream cheese. Stir in the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar a cup at a time and mix until smooth. Add water or milk to the frosting, if necessary, to make a spreadable consistency.

Use a spatula to spread frosting on top of the cupcakes. Dip the frosted cupcakes into a small bowl of coconut flakes. Decorate with a pecan half or mini Vatican City flags.

Notes

• We used a yellow cake mix and a white coconut cream cheese frosting to match the colors of the Vatican flag.
• Boost the coconut flavor in the cream cheese frosting by substituting the vanilla for a teaspoon of coconut flavoring. Toast the sweetened coconut flakes to bring out the fruitiness as well as add some color to the cupcakes.
• The parish we attend, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, is proud to bear the name of new pope!
• Make Italian cream cupcakes for the installation of Pope Francis I on March 19, the Feast Day of St. Joseph, or on October 4, the Feast Day of St. Francis.

Corn Flake Hawaiian Chicken

March 7: National Cereal Day

Taste the tropics in a chicken dish covered in crushed corn flakes cereal. The island-inspired ingredients in this recipe include a pineapple-flavored marinade and shredded coconut in the crumb coating. Kellogg’s cereal company calls it “Chicken Hawaiian,” although this is neither a typical nor traditional recipe from Islander’s home state of Hawaii. But for mainlanders who want a meal made with aloha, Corn Flake Hawaiian Chicken is a fragrant and fine dish for dinner and on National Cereal Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Kellogg’s)

Ingredients

• 6 chicken legs (or other favorite chicken pieces)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup frozen pineapple-orange or pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• ½ -1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 cups corn flakes cereal, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted

Directions

Place chicken in a shallow dish. Season with salt. In a small bowl or measuring cup, beat the egg with the juice. Pour over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, basting several times.

In a bowl, combine the shredded coconut with the curry powder. Mix in the crushed corn flakes. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade. Coat the chicken in the corn flake crumb mixture.

Place in a foiled-line baking pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the melted butter over the chicken pieces. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.  Do not cover or turn the chicken while baking. When done, remove the chicken from the oven. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to a serving dish.

Notes 

• The chicken may be coated with skin or without and may be bone-in or boneless. The shredded coconut may be sweet or unsweetened.
• Search our blog for other recipes made with cereal.