"Irish Coffee" Dark Chocolate & Whiskey Cake

This is a story of what happens when someone makes a casual suggestion and I go down the rabbit hole. And end up with a delicious, dark, complex cake modeled off an Irish Coffee cocktail.

It started with a co-worker asking if I could make a Guinness chocolate cake but with Irish Whiskey instead. Intrigued, I dug into various stout and whiskey cake recipes to get a sense of proportions, textures, flavors, and more.

I wanted to make sure the complex flavors of the whiskey came out—my sister insists that anything made with alcohol *taste* like it—but not ruin either texture or flavor of the cake. I tried two different cakes and two different glazes before settling on this.

Between them, there was a clear winner on glaze, but I waffled on the cake. I ended up going with the one that’s a more traditional bundt cake texture (a bit denser and richer), but I did love the other one (lighter, so fell apart easier).

I had trouble figuring out what to call this cake. Specifically, I was translating Slane’s take on the iconic Irish Coffee cocktail, which meant ensuring that hints of vanilla and orange come through without overpowering the coffee and whiskey taste. I also wanted to make sure that the chocolate flavor didn’t completely take over. But it’s not a “coffee cake” like most people think…

I also chose a beautiful decorative bundt cake because I can’t decorate cakes to save my life! I can make delicious cakes but if I try to frost and decorate them, it looks like a 5-year-old did it. So I’ve been playing around with gorgeous bundt molds for built-in aesthetics 🙂

I thought Slane was amazing in this cake, because it’s such a rich, complex whiskey. I’ve found most Irish whiskies to be much lighter and one-note than I’m into, and I’d recommend using one with a bit more flavor. Whether it’s Slane, something like Jameson Caskmates, or even a good bourbon…something that brings flavor other than just “alcohol”.

So let’s do this, shall we???

(Disclaimer: I work for the company that owns Slane Irish Whiskey, but they are not affiliated with this blog in any way, and this is not a paid or sponsored post. All opinions are, as always, completely my own!)

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Spray a bundt pan (I’m in love with this one) with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle a bit of extra cocoa powder in to keep it from sticking. Put the pan in the fridge for a few minutes while you make the cake batter.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter along with the hot coffee, cocoa powder, and whiskey. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined, and then add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Whisk until combined and then remove from heat.

Try this amazing, easy iced coffee recipe with it!

In a small bowl gently stir together the eggs and buttermilk.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. Pour in the (hot!) chocolate mixture and whisk to incorporate.

Once it’s cooled enough, whisk in the egg and buttermilk mixture, stirring constantly to keep cooling everything down.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes, starting to check for doneness around 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire baking rack for 30-60 minutes, and then gently turn out onto the baking rack to finish cooling.

Stir the glaze ingredients together, tasting to make sure everything’s balanced the way you want.

Pour over the cake. Let it set for at least 10 minutes and serve.

I love this, it kind of looks like it’s part of my granite counter pattern!

Sooooo moist.

Photo shoot time!!

I’m now obsessed and in “social distancing” self-quarantine for a couple weeks with two delicious cakes staring at me. Pray for my self-control!!!

Other interesting cake recipes you’ll love:

“Irish Coffee” Dark Chocolate & Whiskey Cake

Note, because I used Dutch process cocoa (which I adore), I added about 1/3 cup of buttermilk to activate the baking soda; if you use regular baking cocoa, you can omit the buttermilk.

Cake

3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (I used this Dutch process)
1 1/2 cups of strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup of a good, complex Irish whiskey (I use Slane)
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cubed
1 (scant) cup of granulated sugar
1 (scant) cup of brown sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
A tiny dash of black pepper and cloves
3 large eggs
1/3 cup of buttermilk (see note)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Glaze

3/4 cup of icing (powdered) sugar
1-2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons of Slane Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Spray a bundt pan (I’m in love with this one) with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle a bit of extra cocoa powder in to keep it from sticking. Put the pan in the fridge for a few minutes while you make the cake batter.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter along with the hot coffee, cocoa powder, and whiskey. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined, and then add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Whisk until combined and then remove from heat.
In a small bowl gently stir together the eggs and buttermilk.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. Pour in the (hot!) chocolate mixture and whisk to incorporate. Once it’s cooled enough, whisk in the egg and buttermilk mixture, stirring constantly to keep cooling everything down.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes, starting to check for doneness around 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire baking rack for 30-60 minutes, and then gently turn out onto the baking rack to finish cooling.
Stir the glaze ingredients together, tasting to make sure everything’s balanced the way you want. Then pour over the cake. Let it set for at least 10 minutes and serve.

Cake adapted from this recipe. The cake recipe I didn’t use is here (you can expect to see it on the blog later!).

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