Now this is the St. Patrick's Day cake of cakes. Guinness in the cake, Jameson ganache filling, and Bailey's frosting. I got this idea after I got some Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and was thinking about making a chocolate Guinness cupcake with crushed Thin Mints in it and Bailey's buttercream frosting. I made these Tagalong Cheesecake Bars with my other Girl Scout Cookies. My will power was strong enough to resist eating the Tagalongs while I was making the cheesecake bars, but the Thin Mints are down for the count. The chocolate cupcake idea morphed into a Guinness two-layer cake with a chocolate-whiskey filling layer and Bailey's buttercream frosting. I made this to celebrate completing a huge project at work. This is going to become my go-to St. Patrick's Day dessert!
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (to make at home, stir 2 tablespoons of white vinegar into a cup of milk and let stand for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature (eggs must be at room temp or the cake will not set correctly)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Guinness stout
Whiskey Ganache:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chips or chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted better, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. To make the cake, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl until well combined.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low.
5. Pour in the Guinness. The batter will be thin.
6. Pour the batter into prepared round baking pans and bake for 23-27 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
7. To make ganache, heat cream over medium heat until just about to boil. Pour over chocolate and mix until smooth.
8. Add butter and whiskey to ganache. Mix well.
9. Let ganache cool until it is no longer warm, but has not hardened yet. This takes 10-15 minutes.
10. Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off of both halves of the cake to create a flat surface for assembly.
11. Place one layer of the cake, rounded top down, on a platter. Spread ganache over cake.
12. Top ganache layer with second cake, rounded top down.
13. To make Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting, whisk room temperature butter for 3-5 minutes, until very smooth.
14. Gradually add the powdered sugar, until it is all consistently mixed with the butter.
15. Whisk in the salt.
16. Add the Bailey's. Whisk for 2-3 minutes on medium until well incorporated.
17. Frost cake. Drizzle with extra ganache. (If the ganache has hardened, microwave for 30 seconds and stir.) Store in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (to make at home, stir 2 tablespoons of white vinegar into a cup of milk and let stand for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature (eggs must be at room temp or the cake will not set correctly)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Guinness stout
Whiskey Ganache:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chips or chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted better, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. To make the cake, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl until well combined.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low.
5. Pour in the Guinness. The batter will be thin.
6. Pour the batter into prepared round baking pans and bake for 23-27 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
7. To make ganache, heat cream over medium heat until just about to boil. Pour over chocolate and mix until smooth.
8. Add butter and whiskey to ganache. Mix well.
9. Let ganache cool until it is no longer warm, but has not hardened yet. This takes 10-15 minutes.
10. Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off of both halves of the cake to create a flat surface for assembly.
11. Place one layer of the cake, rounded top down, on a platter. Spread ganache over cake.
12. Top ganache layer with second cake, rounded top down.
13. To make Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting, whisk room temperature butter for 3-5 minutes, until very smooth.
14. Gradually add the powdered sugar, until it is all consistently mixed with the butter.
15. Whisk in the salt.
16. Add the Bailey's. Whisk for 2-3 minutes on medium until well incorporated.
17. Frost cake. Drizzle with extra ganache. (If the ganache has hardened, microwave for 30 seconds and stir.) Store in an airtight container.