Irish Whiskey Cake with a Butter-Whiskey Glaze

Whack for my daddy-o

Whack for my daddy-o

There’s whiskey in the jar!

That’s right! I’m baking whiskey cakes in little jars again. The first time I gave this a whirl I made Jack Daniels Cakes. For St. Patrick’s Day I made some lovely little Irish Whiskey (Jameson….is there any other? Hmmm….this might stir a bit of discussion….) cakes in canning jars. But I didn’t stop there…Oh no! Once these delicious morsels finished baking, I poked holes in the top of the cakes and drizzled a gorgeous Irish Whiskey-Butter Sauce all over them. Then, on a roll and not to be stopped, I topped them with some whipped cream. Good Lord! These cakes are heavenly! I’m still dreaming about that Whiskey-Butter Sauce. And they are portable, since they are in little jars, great for a party! I was initially worried about baking in canning jars, but it is very easy.

No greasing or flouring necessary. Just remember not to fill the jar more than half way full with the cake batter or you will have an over-flow incident in your oven, and no one likes that. You can also bake this as one big cake in a bundt pan if you’d rather not fool with the individual jars. But the little jars of whiskey cake seemed so appropriate for St. Patrick’s….How does that song go again?

Whack for my daddy-o

Whack for my daddy-o

There’s whiskey in the jar! (and there really is!)

 

Irish Whiskey Cake

recipe from: Sprinkle Bakes

yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

This cake can be made in 10 – 8 oz. or 12 oz. glass canning jars  -or- a 10″ bundt pan, greased and lightly floured.

For the Cake(s): 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. Irish whiskey
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Butter-Whiskey Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Irish whiskey
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• Prepared whipped cream (for jar cakes)

Directions:

For the Cakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add coffee, whiskey, butter, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.  Place over moderate heat and whisk until butter has melted.  Remove from heat and add the sugar.  Whisk until incorporated.  Pour mixture into a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs and vanilla extract and gradually pour into chocolate mixture.  Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined.  Mixture will be very thin.

Place canning jars on a cookie sheet or roasting pan and pour batter in each by the level 1/2 cups full; OR pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake for 45-55 minutes (for both jars and bundt pan).

For the Sauce:

When the cake(s) are almost ready to come out of the oven, begin to make the sauce.

Combine all ingredients (except whipped cream)  in a small saucepan, and cook very gently over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat.

When cake(s) are done, let them cool for 10 minutes.  With a skewer, poke holes in the jarred cakes and pour a little sauce into each cake -dividing it evenly until it has all been used.  Top with prepared whipped cream.

If making a bundt cake, turn the cake out and place it upside down (as it baked in the oven). Poke holes all over the surface and VERY SLOWLY drizzle sauce over the cake until it has completely absorbed all of the sauce.  Wrap in foil and let cool completely.  Store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy!