Chocolate Irish Dream Cake Food

IRISH CREAM POKE CAKE

Steps:

• Combine cake mix and 2 tablespoons of the instant espresso powder. Prepare and bake the cake according to the package directions for a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cool completely on a wire rack. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke 25 holes in the cake (make 5 rows of 5).
• Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix, 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and 1/2 cup liqueur in a medium bowl for 2 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes for the pudding to set.
• Meanwhile, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons liqueur and remaining 1 tablespoon espresso powder in a small bowl until the powder dissolves. Whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream together with the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the espresso liqueur mixture and whip just to incorporate.
• Spread the pudding mixture over the top of the cake, making sure the holes get filled completely. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the surface. Chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• About 30 minutes before serving, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until soft. Let cool slightly. Drizzle over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the chopped espresso beans and serve cold.

CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE WITH IRISH CREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• For the chocolate stout cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with the room temperature butter, then line it with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Combine the stout, melted butter, vanilla extract and vinegar in a separate large bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• For the Irish cream frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed until smooth and combined. Add 1 tablespoon of the Irish cream liqueur and mix until smooth and spreadable, 2 to 3 minutes. You can add another tablespoon of liqueur if needed to get the right consistency--it should be smooth but still thick enough to spread.
• Remove the cake from the pan and spread the frosting on top. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the chocolate over the top. Serve.

CHOCOLATE IRISH DREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Stir all ingredients together except chocolate chips. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Fold in chocolate chips.
• Pour into greased and floured bundt or tube pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then remove.
• Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CARAMEL IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM AND DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• For the chocolate cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment, then spray with nonstick baking spray.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and coffee and mix on low speed until the butter "grabs" a lot of the dry ingredients--otherwise you will have a poof of cocoa powder and flour to contend with! Turn the speed up to medium and mix until well blended, about 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until each one gets incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, add the vanilla and mix a little longer, 10 to 15 seconds.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert onto plastic wrap and wrap well. Place in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature, still wrapped, for 1 hour before cutting.
• For the caramel Irish cream buttercream: Place the egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl and set over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very thin and warm. Remove from the heat and pour the sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Turn to low speed and continue to whip until the bowl is cool to the touch.
• Turn the speed to medium and beat in the chunks of butter. (The mixture may appear curdled at first, but continue beating and it will come together.) Add the vanilla extract, then the liqueur and a little bit of the dulce de leche until it achieves a creamy texture.
• (If your buttercream has sat for a while and lost its creamy texture, re-beat it before using.)
• For the dark chocolate ganache: Place the chopped chocolate and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly with a fork or whisk, then microwave on 50-percent power for 1 minute; stir again. If there are some chunks in there, allow to sit for a few minutes, then re-stir. If necessary, continue with one or two more 15-second intervals at 50-percent power, being careful not to overheat the mixture. Add the vanilla if using.
• Spray a piece of plastic wrap with nonstick spray, then cover the bowl, with the sprayed portion pressed directly against the surface of the ganache to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to sit until completely cool and set.
• Assemble the cake: Use a serrated knife to cut the cake layers horizontally into 4 layers total. Smear a little buttercream on a serving plate, then top with a cake layer. Spread some ganache on the first layer, then spread some buttercream about 1/4-inch-thick on top of the ganache. Spread some buttercream on a second cake layer, then invert it to top the cake layer on the serving plate (buttercream will face buttercream). Repeat with the remaining layers of cake, topping each layer with ganache and then buttercream, and covering with a layer spread with buttercream, buttercream-side down. Once you have topped the cake with the last cake layer, use an offset spatula to smooth out any icing squishing out of the sides of the cake. Coat the entire cake with a thin layer of ganache for a "crumb coat." Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up. Ice the cake with the remainder of the buttercream. Serve right away, or keep chilled. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

CHOCOLATE DREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line a 15"x10" pan with wax paper.
• Wisk together cocoa, sugar and boiling water.
• Cool to lukewarm.
• Prepare cake mix to pkg. directions, using the water and adding the cocoa mixture.
• Spread batter evenly in the pan.
• Bake 20 minutes or till top looks dry.
• Invert onto large rack.
• Remove pan and wax paper and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, dissolve coffee in milk.
• Add whip topping& pudding mixes.
• Beat on low speed till moistened, then high speed till soft peaks form.
• Chill 5 minutes.
• Cut cake crosswise into thirds, cover each with topping, then stack.
• (I'll probably skip the stacking and just frost& serve) Chill for 2 hours.

BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Sift dry ingredients together.
• Beat egg, oil, buttermilk, liqueur, coffee together.
• Add to the dry ingredients; beat together for about 3 minutes.
• Pour into greased/floured 10" springform pan or 9x13 pan.
• Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutues for the springform or 25 to 30 minutes for the 9x13- or until done.
• Cool.
• Frosting: beat ingredients together until stiff.
• Turn cake out onto a plate and frost with whipped cream mixture.
• Sprinkle with chocolate curls.

IRISH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Grease and line 8-inch cake tins.
• Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water.
• In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and mashed potato.
• Gradually beat in the egg, adding a little flour with each addition.
• Fold in the rest of the flour and stir in the milk.
• Divide mixture between cake tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch.
• Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooling rack.
• While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Melt the chocolate as before, stir in the other ingredients and mix well.
• Use the icing to sandwich the cake layers together and coat the top and sides of the cake.
• HINT: What makes this rich chocolate cake "Irish" is not only to the creamy liqueur used in the filling, but also a particularly "Irish" ingredient in the cake mixture itself, which makes it extremely moist. Have you guessed it yet? Yes, it's the potato! Mystery solved! Bet you were wondering what potatoes were doing in a cake recipe! Even Irish dessert recipes make use of this abundant Irish crop!

CHOCOLATE DREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• in a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
• add butter and 2/3 of the buttermilk; mix well.
• add eggs and remaining buttermilk; mix well.
• pour into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
• bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• cool 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.