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Irish Cream flavored liquid coffee creamer (non-alcoholic) and Irish Cream Liqueur
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ingredients
cooling
finished buttercream
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buttercream
rise & fall
layers
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ganache ingredients
waxed paper strips
start crumb coat
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ready to bake
whip sugar & butter
crumb coat on
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frosted
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whisk ganache
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drizzle on cake
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shamrock ingredients
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let shamrock harden
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(If you want a cake to wow your friends on St. Patrick's Day (or anytime of the year), try this one! From scratch, but easy enough to make... and your friends will think you bought it at a boutique bakery! * coffee, chocolate, Irish Cream liqueur *
IRISH CREAM MOCHA Layer CAKE with IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM
and CHOCOLATE GANACHE
2 cups flour…………………………….....................…………...1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder..........……1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda……………………………….......................2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil……………………………...................3/4 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup Irish Cream flavored liquid coffee creamer, plus 1/4 cup milk for a stronger Irish Cream flavor)
1/2 cup Irish Cream Liqueur……………...............……….1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup strong brewed black coffee (or 3/4 cup hot water w/2 tsp. instant coffee powder dissolved ~ I added 1 tsp. instant coffee powder to make my coffee stronger)
IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM
1 cup softened butter……………………………..................3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/3 cup Baileys Irish Cream (depends how strong you want it)
1 tsp vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
About 4 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
About 5 TB heavy whipping cream
Optional GARNISH: sprinkles * green chocolate shamrock * shaved chocolate
NOTE: If you don’t want to use real alcoholic Irish Cream liqueur, you can substitute Irish Cream flavored liquid coffee creamer.
***
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 8” round cake pans generously with non-stick baking spray (containing flour) and set aside.
Beat the eggs, oil, milk, vanilla, Irish Cream Liqueur, and coffee together on low. Slowly beat in the baking soda, salt and sugar until well blended. Gradually beat in the unsweetened cocoa and flour; then beat all together on medium for about 2-3 minutes. (The cake batter will look thinner than most cake batters.)
Spread the batter evenly in the 2 prepared pans. Lightly tap each pan down on the counter a couple of times to break any air bubbles inside. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. (It may rise in the center, but then sink back down as the cake cools. That's fine because the buttercream frosting will cover that all up later.)
***
IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM:
Beat butter and sugar with your electric mixer, starting on low and working up to high. Beat until fluffy, about two minutes. Scrape the bowl, add 1/4 cup of Baileys and vanilla. Turn the beater to high and let it whip for another 3-4 minutes (scraping the sides of bowl as necessary).
ASSEMBLE: If necessary, slice any raised “dome” off each cake layer with a long serrated knife. Put 1 cake layer (right-side up) on your cake plate, and put little strips of waxed paper under the edges (to catch drips). Spread about 1 cup of frosting over the bottom layer and then top with the other cake layer (up-side down ~ this will give you a smooth even "top" to frost later). Brush all crumbs off of the cake. Then, I recommend doing a "Crumb Coat" ~ which is a very, very thin layer of frosting on the sides & top (to seal in any crumbs); let that set for a few minutes. (scrape off the crumb coat with your offset spatula, so that it's just barely there) Frost top and sides of the cake. Let it sit a few minutes. Then drizzle CHOCOLATE GANACHE around the top edge and let it drip down the sides of the cake.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
Add the chocolate chips to medium glass bowl. Microwave the heavy whipping cream until boiling, then pour over the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with clear wrap for about 5 minutes. Whisk chocolate until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate ganache around the top edge and down the sides of the cake. After the ganache has hardened a little, gently slide the wax paper strips out from the edges of the cake. (NOTE: extra ganache can be kept in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave about 15 seconds to drizzle onto cakes or cookies another time.)
GARNISH: (1) The easiest garnish is to put some sprinkles (I usually use mini shamrocks) on the center of the top of the cake ~ or shaved chocolate.
(2) But, if you want to go 1 step further: Melt 1 large square of vanilla melting bark with 1/2 tsp. vegetable shortening for about 45 seconds in the microwave. Then add 1-2 drops green food coloring, and stir until the green bark is completely melted. * Lay a piece of waxed or parchment paper on your counter. With a spoon, form the shape of a shamrock or clover on the paper and let it harden. Then, gently peel off the paper and set your green bark shamrock in the center of the cake. I also put mini-shamrock sprinkles on top of the ganache on this cake.
This should store well lightly covered at room temperature for about a day. Longer than that, you might want to refrigerate it.
***
TIP: I buy sprinkles on eBay ~ usually 8 oz. at a time. It's much cheaper than buying little bottles at the store, and I keep them in covered jars in my pantry.
IRISH CREAM MOCHA Layer CAKE with IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM
and CHOCOLATE GANACHE
2 cups flour…………………………….....................…………...1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder..........……1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda……………………………….......................2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil……………………………...................3/4 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup Irish Cream flavored liquid coffee creamer, plus 1/4 cup milk for a stronger Irish Cream flavor)
1/2 cup Irish Cream Liqueur……………...............……….1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup strong brewed black coffee (or 3/4 cup hot water w/2 tsp. instant coffee powder dissolved ~ I added 1 tsp. instant coffee powder to make my coffee stronger)
IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM
1 cup softened butter……………………………..................3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/3 cup Baileys Irish Cream (depends how strong you want it)
1 tsp vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
About 4 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
About 5 TB heavy whipping cream
Optional GARNISH: sprinkles * green chocolate shamrock * shaved chocolate
NOTE: If you don’t want to use real alcoholic Irish Cream liqueur, you can substitute Irish Cream flavored liquid coffee creamer.
***
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 8” round cake pans generously with non-stick baking spray (containing flour) and set aside.
Beat the eggs, oil, milk, vanilla, Irish Cream Liqueur, and coffee together on low. Slowly beat in the baking soda, salt and sugar until well blended. Gradually beat in the unsweetened cocoa and flour; then beat all together on medium for about 2-3 minutes. (The cake batter will look thinner than most cake batters.)
Spread the batter evenly in the 2 prepared pans. Lightly tap each pan down on the counter a couple of times to break any air bubbles inside. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. (It may rise in the center, but then sink back down as the cake cools. That's fine because the buttercream frosting will cover that all up later.)
***
IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM:
Beat butter and sugar with your electric mixer, starting on low and working up to high. Beat until fluffy, about two minutes. Scrape the bowl, add 1/4 cup of Baileys and vanilla. Turn the beater to high and let it whip for another 3-4 minutes (scraping the sides of bowl as necessary).
ASSEMBLE: If necessary, slice any raised “dome” off each cake layer with a long serrated knife. Put 1 cake layer (right-side up) on your cake plate, and put little strips of waxed paper under the edges (to catch drips). Spread about 1 cup of frosting over the bottom layer and then top with the other cake layer (up-side down ~ this will give you a smooth even "top" to frost later). Brush all crumbs off of the cake. Then, I recommend doing a "Crumb Coat" ~ which is a very, very thin layer of frosting on the sides & top (to seal in any crumbs); let that set for a few minutes. (scrape off the crumb coat with your offset spatula, so that it's just barely there) Frost top and sides of the cake. Let it sit a few minutes. Then drizzle CHOCOLATE GANACHE around the top edge and let it drip down the sides of the cake.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
Add the chocolate chips to medium glass bowl. Microwave the heavy whipping cream until boiling, then pour over the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with clear wrap for about 5 minutes. Whisk chocolate until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate ganache around the top edge and down the sides of the cake. After the ganache has hardened a little, gently slide the wax paper strips out from the edges of the cake. (NOTE: extra ganache can be kept in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave about 15 seconds to drizzle onto cakes or cookies another time.)
GARNISH: (1) The easiest garnish is to put some sprinkles (I usually use mini shamrocks) on the center of the top of the cake ~ or shaved chocolate.
(2) But, if you want to go 1 step further: Melt 1 large square of vanilla melting bark with 1/2 tsp. vegetable shortening for about 45 seconds in the microwave. Then add 1-2 drops green food coloring, and stir until the green bark is completely melted. * Lay a piece of waxed or parchment paper on your counter. With a spoon, form the shape of a shamrock or clover on the paper and let it harden. Then, gently peel off the paper and set your green bark shamrock in the center of the cake. I also put mini-shamrock sprinkles on top of the ganache on this cake.
This should store well lightly covered at room temperature for about a day. Longer than that, you might want to refrigerate it.
***
TIP: I buy sprinkles on eBay ~ usually 8 oz. at a time. It's much cheaper than buying little bottles at the store, and I keep them in covered jars in my pantry.
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