Do you every just get a “hankering” for something? Something you don’t usually have, but you just get stuck in your mind that you really, really, really want?!
That’s how I was feeling this past week about chocolate cake. And chocolate cake is not something I usually make/eat/crave.
But – there was no getting it out of my head, so what’s a girl to do?! Bake cake!
And when I found this recipe for a “boozy” chocolate cake – well – even better! But dang, it was in metric measurements, and try as I could to search for it in U.S. equivalents, no luck. So I postponed doing it the first day I thought of it, but then just bit the bullet the next day and converted it myself. I’m not sure if I converted exactly or correctly, but it turned out absolutely amazing!
Oh Dear Me! This is a real treat for the hankering! It is rich and dense and chocolately and smothered in a decadent Bailey’s chocolate ganache! I only needed a few bites to satisfy.
Hubby loved it too!
After our couple of bites/slices, however, I decided to put it in the freezer to save for special occasions or special guests. I’m guessing it will freeze well (as all cakes do), and be just the thing to pull out and slice when “needed!”
So here it is – the Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Mud Cake – converted for us U.S. bakers and also in Metric equivalents.
Are you craving chocolate cake yet?! Grab that bottle of Bailey’s and get baking!
Baileys Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 1/3 sticks butter (10.5 Tbsp) or 150 grams
- 3.5 oz or 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup or 100 grams sugar
- 1/2 cup or 100 grams brown sugar
- 1/2 cup or 50 grams cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup or 180ml Baileys Irish Cream Whiskey
- 1 1/3 cups or 170 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature
Baileys Ganache:
- 7 oz or 200 grams good quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 – 1 cup or 200ml Baileys Irish Cream (you can also do 1/2 cream and 1/2 Bailey’s if you don’t want it quite so “boozy,” but what the heck?!)
- pinch of salt
- 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp or 15 grams butter, softened
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F (160°C). In a pan over low heat, melt the butter, chocolate, sugars, cocoa powder and Baileys. When chocolate and butter has melted, whisk together to combine making sure to get rid of any lumps of sugar or cocoa powder. Remove from heat and leave cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease and line an 8″ (20-21cm) round cake pan.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Add the eggs to the slightly cooled chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Gently fold in the sifted flour mix until free of lumps.
Scrape into cake pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (Be cautious, however, as this is one cake you don’t want to over-bake so better to be a little under than over). The top of the cake will have some beautiful cracks. This is normal for a mud cake, and you will be covering it with a lovely and oh so concealing ganache anyway!
Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on wire rack.
To make the ganache, heat the Bailey’s and the salt to a simmer in a pan (be careful to not get the heat too high and catch the alcohol on fire like I did!). Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until completely incorporated, and then stir in the butter.
Set aside at room temperature and cool until it is thick enough to spread over your cooled cake (or if you are as impatient as me, put in the freezer to cool more quickly). Gently stir the ganache occasionally as it cools to keep the temperature even and the ganache smooth.
When it is cooled and thickened, spread the ganache on the top of your cake and let it drip down the sides.
Enjoy!
Recipe found at: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 