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.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

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.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

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.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

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.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

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.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

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.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

with Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting

March 17: Feast Day of St. Patrick

Irish beer, Irish butter, Irish cream. The trinity of these traditional Irish ingredients is included in a contemporary chocolate cupcake recipe for the Feast Day of St. Patrick, the patron of Ireland. Legend states that he used the shamrock to explain about the Holy Trinity when he converted the Irish pagans and Druids to Christianity.

We baked these “spirited” shamrock-sprinkled sweets for a St. Patrick’s celebration at Islander’s brother’s Catholic university. The cupcakes were a festive dessert that provided not only food for thought about Irish cuisine, culture, politics and religion but also an opportunity for campus ministers to teach students about the trinity and our faith, much like St. Patrick did in Ireland in the fifth century.

Recipe

(Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson)

For the cupcakes

1 cup Guinness beer, room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) butter (we used Kerrygold brand unsalted butter)
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar, granulated white
2 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flour, all-purpose, sifted
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Directions

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and pour in the beer. Whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar and mix until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream and vanilla. Pour in the beer mixture and blend well.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

Gradually add the flour and baking soda and mix the batter until smooth. Scoop into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tins for another 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Make the frosting.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

For the frosting

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
+3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
pinch of salt

Directions

Cream the butter with a mixer paddle. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until the frosting is smooth. Pour in the Bailey’s Irish Cream until the frosting is at a spreadable consistency. Fill a pastry bag and pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake. Decorate with shamrock-shaped sprinkles. Yield: Approximately two dozen cupcakes.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

Notes

The cupcakes are moist and aromatic. The Guinness beer’s sourness is balanced by the Bailey’s Irish cream frosting’s sweetness.

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