Irish Whiskey Cake

Last month I told you that I was searching for the perfect Irish whiskey cake to serve with my St. Patrick’s Day dinner. At that point I gave you a recipe that was good, but it wasn’t blow your skirt up, punch you in the face, clear your sinuses fantastic. This one is. It contains a good bit of whiskey, but do not cut back on any of it. It is the perfect blend of chocolate and whiskey that will make you more than aware that you are seriously enjoying both. I found that I liked it best the first day when the base of it was super moist from all of the whiskey. My son, and zealous recipe tester, liked it a couple of days hence, when the cake wasn’t quite as moist, but the whiskey had infused every morsel. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with this. Your guests will love you for it.

Irish Whiskey Cake

 Cake

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

2 c. flour

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate

¼ c. instant espresso powder

2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. Irish whiskey

½ t. kosher salt

2 c. sugar

3 large eggs

1 T. vanilla extract

1 t. baking soda

 Syrup

8 T. unsalted butter

¼ c. water

1 c. sugar

¼ t. kosher salt

½ c. Irish whiskey

 Preheat oven to 325ºF. Spray the heck out of a 10-cup Bundt pan with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

  In a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate. Let cool.

 Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Add whiskey and salt; let cool.

 Using an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda, and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

 On low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with whiskey mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake tests done, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

 While the cake is baking, make the syrup.

  Transfer cake to a rack. Use a long skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Keep the cake in the pan and slowly drizzle the syrup over the cake (still in the pan). Do this in increments in order to allow the syrup to soak in.

 Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit overnight at room temperature to soak in all of that luscious syrup. When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto your serving plate. If the cake won’t release, don't force it. Place it in the oven, turn the oven to 350°F, and warm for about 10 minutes, to soften the sticky syrup. Remove the cake from the oven, and tip it onto the serving plate.

 To make the syrup:

In a medium-sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except almond extract. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, without stirring, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat.

Store at room temperature, covered, for several days. Freezes well.

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