St. Paddy's Day: Irish Cream Cake

Time to celebrate one of the most beautiful countries on earth.

The largest Norman castle in Ireland -- courtesy of Wikipedia

And what better way than a graceful and easy to make cake, flavored with liqueur (or liquor!). This version shortcuts with boxed cake and pudding mixes.






IRISH CREAM CAKE
(recipe from Betty Crocker --
   serves from 8-12, depending on your slices. Great with coffee, by the way.)

Cake

1

box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ devil’s food cake mix

1

box (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

4

eggs

1/3

cup vegetable oil

1

cup Irish cream liqueur   (or substitute 1/3 cup of a fine whiskey, like Jameson's)

1

cup sour cream

Irish Cream Frosting

1

cup butter, softened

4

oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened

3

cups powdered sugar

1/4

cup Irish cream liqueur

1

teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Glaze

4

oz bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped

1/2

cup whipping cream

1/4

cup light corn syrup

2

teaspoons vanilla

1/3

cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.
• 2 In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Pour batter into pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• 3 In large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until blended. Add 1/4 cup liqueur and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until frosting is smooth and spreadable.
• 4 Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with one-third of the frosting. Top with second layer. Frost side and top of cake with thin layer of frosting to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Frost cake with remaining frosting.
• 5 Place chopped chocolate in small bowl. In small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat until bubbles form around edge. Pour warm cream over chocolate; let stand 1 minute. Stir with whisk until chocolate is melted. Add corn syrup and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir until smooth. Let stand 10 minutes or until thickened.
• 6 Pour glaze on top of cake, letting some glaze drip down side. Sprinkle almonds around edge of cake. Store in refrigerator.
• Go here for Betty's page...