Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Finnegan's Chocolate Cream Cake


I really, really wanted to make heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them with more pink frosting for Valentine's Day, but it turns out that I don't have a heart-shaped cookie cutter and it was too cold and rainy to go buy one. So I turned to plan B, which mostly consisted of flipping through my Passion for Baking book trying to find a recipe that I had everything for and that I wanted to make.

This cake looked easy and yummy, plus I had everything for it which made it perfect for tonight. A dark chocolate cake flavored with Irish Cream and coffee, topped with an Irish Cream, chocolate glaze. The cake is good -- rich, dense and moist with a slightly crispy/chewy crumb, but the Irish Cream-Chocolate glaze is phenomenal. Slightly sweet and chocolaty with a distinct Irish Cream flavor. Yum.

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup brewed warm coffee
1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur

Chocolate Cream Glaze

3/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

Finishing Touch:
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan or a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray (preferably baking spray.)

In a mixer bowl, cream butter with both sugars. Then add eggs and vanilla. Blend on low for 1 minute until smooth. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir briefly, the drizzle in coffee and Irish cream, stirring at the same time to make a smooth, somewhat loose batter.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. (the Bundt cake pan will take a bit longer, I used a tube pan and baked mine for about 55 minutes, checking it after 50.) Cool cake well and then invert onto a serving platter.

For Chocolate Cream Glaze, bring whipping cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Add chocolate chips, reduce temp to low, and whisk to blend and melt chocolate. Add Irish cream. Remove pan from heat after one or two minutes and stir until smooth. Let cool to room temp before using.

Place cake in fridge to firm up chocolate after glazing. Once chocolate is set, dust with powdered sugar.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh...that looks SO good...

i hope there will still be some left for me by the time i get in tomorrow (presuming you bring it in, that is)

Anonymous said...

oh gawd oh gawd oh gawd oh gawd oh gawd

i want this cake now. XIANZAI!

dear whoever this cream cake person might be: i'm not going to wait TOO long to save some. i don't care whether friend burkie is holding the most important meeting of his life. *when* i want seconds, i'm gonna freaking get SECONDS!

=P

mira said...

uh i think it'll be safely stowed away for your enjoyment, cc.

that looks delish!

mira said...

not a chocolate person, but this was delish! and the glaze was EVEN better!!! :D

thank youuuuuuuuu!

Anonymous said...

mira speaks truly! this one is worthy of repeating, and can really fit any occasion. it would be pretty on a fancy glass cake plate and more than suitable after an elegant dinner, or will wrap up and travel well for an outdoor picnic or tailgating party.
-jb