One thing I love is Irish cream. My mom even went so far as to get she and I an Irish cream advent calendar during this past Christmas. I’m not sure if people consider Irish cream to be a seasonal or “holiday” drink, but I think that this Irish cream chocolate cake is an “anytime” cake. It is decadent, extra rich, and so so chocolatey. I am probably the biggest chocolate fan that I know, and I think this just might be my favorite dessert. I’ve only made it the one time, simply because it is a bit on the more expensive side to make, and secondly because I don’t need to make a whole cake just for myself. Though, now that I am writing about it, it is tempting me to get into the kitchen. Alas, the blog post must go on. I am positive this cake will go down in history as the best chocolate cake in the world, at least in my book. It’s time. Run to your kitchen, and let’s get to baking!
What kind of cocoa is best? Does it matter?
Up until about 4 years ago, I had no concept of “types” of cocoa. To me, there was Hershey’s 100% Natural Cocoa (if I were lucky) and most often, Aldi basic brand cocoa. I later learned that both of these are natural cocoa powders and that there was a whole world of chocolate flavor out there to explore. I went through many brands and types of cocoa powders, learning about dutch-processed, blends, black cocoa, and even cacao powder. In the end, I concluded that I preferred dutch-processed, which made me re-evaluate just how I bake my recipes.
Though I prefer dutch-processed, you may prefer the more acidic natural cocoa powder that is common in America. If that is your preference, that is totally cool! However, you will have to make a small adjustment to this recipe if you want to stick with natural cocoa. Different cocoa powders have different pH levels, meaning they react differently depending on what kind of leavener you are using. For this recipe if you would like to swap for natural cocoa, you can, but you should swap the amounts of baking powder and baking soda, meaning now you would use 2 teaspoons of baking soda and only 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. This will give the correct rise to your Irish cream chocolate cake instead of having a sad, flat cake coming out of your oven.
Irish Cream Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- ½ cup Mayo
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- 1½ cups Milk
For Cake Soak:
- ½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 4 ounces 70% Chocolate melted
- ½ cup Irish Cream
For the Buttercream:
- 1½ cups Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Irish Cream
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Grease and line three 6-inch cake rounds. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the mayo, sugars, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and milk. Whisk thoroughly to combine and then add the dry ingredients.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just the last streak of flour disappears. Be careful not to over-mix or else you will have a tough cake.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans and allow to bake for 40-50 minutes, checking at the 40 minute mark. When the cakes are done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool before removing from their pans.
For the Cake Soak:
- In a double boiler or in a heat proof bowl in the microwave, melt the chocolate. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and the irish cream while the chocolate is still melted.
- Poke holes in the cakes with a skewer and use a pastry brush to brush the soak over the cake layers. Make sure to get both the top and bottom of the cake, and try to get the soak to seep into the little holes you poked. This makes the cake super moist.
For the Buttercream:
- Beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt together until combined. Add the vanilla and irish cream and beat on high speed for 2 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Frost the cake as desired and enjoy!
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