“Is there anything more comforting and pleasurable than chocolate cake?”
It is the universal cure of ills, heartbreak, sugar cravings and (for me at least), boredom. Throughout high school and my twenties, chocolate cake was like my culinary crack. I use to spend my meagre high school savings buying myself a whole mud cake after school just so I could eat as much as I wanted. When I was broke and desperate, I turned to boxed cake mixes. Not as good as the bakeries naturally but it still did nicely to satisfy my moods.
[Would you like one dollop or two?]
Speaking of which, I just realised that I haven’t used one in at least a decade. Not that I’m judging boxed cake mixes too harshly of course; after all, it did inspire me to go out and actually learn how to bake from scratch (I guess you could say, it was the genesis of Citrus and Candy yes?). It’s just that with recipes like these that are super easy, there really isn’t any excuse to use the ‘instant’ boxed stuff anymore. And with the ones that I’ve tried, I still had to drag out my electric mixer out. This recipe is pretty much faster and it doesn’t need anything more than a whisk and a stir.
[Swirling like a boss. I demand swirls!]
This is a Chocolate Baileys Mud Cake topped with an ultra smooth and silky ganache and it will happily satisfy all sorts of hardcore chocolate cravings. Though I definitely didn’t plan to pander to the St. Patrick’s Day masses with the inclusion of Baileys Irish Cream (which lends a subtle but sweet taste and fragrance). It just so happened that Mother Superior came back from a holiday cruise with two huge bottles simply because, “they were sooo cheap!”. But as luck would have it, she failed to check the expiration date first. So obviously I had to help her out in using it all up right? She drank. I baked. Then we both ate.
[Momma always said not to play with my food but I think chocolate cake is the exception]
Chocolate Baileys Mud Cake
2013-02-27 04:07:09
Serves 8
150g unsalted butter, chopped
100g dark chocolate, chopped
100g caster sugar
100g brown sugar
50g Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
180ml Baileys Irish Cream Whiskey
170g plain flour
1.5 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, room temperature
200g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
100ml cream
100ml Baileys Irish Cream
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbl / 15g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Preheat oven to 160°C. In a pan, add 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 to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease and line a 20-21cm round cake tin. Sift 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 tin then bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (ideally you want to see some moist crumbs stuck to it. This is one cake you don't want to over-bake so better to be a little under than over). The tops of the cake will be a little cracked but this is normal for a mud cake (you'll be trimming the tops and eating them anyway!).
Remove from oven and cool in tin for 10 minutes before unmoulding and cooling it down completely. Trim the tops of the cake to level.
Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Bring the cream, Baileys and the salt to a simmer in a pan. Pour over the chocolate and sit for a minute. Gently stir to combine then beat in the butter.
Set aside at room temperature and cool until it is thick enough to spread over your cooled cake. Gently stir the ganache occasionally as it cools to keep the temperature even and the ganache smooth.
For the ganache: feel free to use all Baileys if you prefer it boozier. Alternatively you could just use all cream for a virgin ganache :)
Citrus and Candy http://www.citrusandcandy.com/
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Tagged as:
Baileys Irish Cream,
Boozy Cooking,
Cake,
Chocolate,
Ganache,
Lazy Cake for Lazy Bakers,
Liqueur,
Mud Cake,
One Bowl Cake,
one-bowl,
Quick and Easy,
Whiskey
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
You have got to be freaking kidding me!! This sounds AWESOME!!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar recently posted..Black Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta
This looks sooo moist and chocolatey and this is definitely an exception to play with your food x
*Homer drool* Oh my god I want this gorgeous cake in my face!!! Haha I totally spent my money on the Sara Lee frozen chocolate cake and would eat it straight out of the foil tray.
Steph recently posted..Date & Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies
That is one sexy chocolate cake! Perfect way to use up that expiring Baileys ;)
Jacq recently posted..Dose Espresso, Willoughby
You always have the most drool-worthy photos! That cake looks so moist.. I just want to sink my teeth into that hehe
This looks amazing and I am chocolate swooning over this cake. I am pinning – yum, yum, yum! xxx
Elizabeth@allthatisbeautiful recently posted..Sunshine
Too much chocolate (mud cake) is barely enough.
OohLookBel recently posted..Le fancie: Smoked Salmon Rillettes
Great looking cake, and what could be better than actually putting the ingredients in a pot and melting them?
tania@mykitchenstories.com.au recently posted..Lemon Ricotta Cake and Life by the Lakes
Wow, that icing looks incredible. That hint of Baileys is right up my alley haha
thecitygourmand recently posted..Paella hunting, Valencia
I have a bazillion chocolate cake recipes, but there is always room for another one. Especially one that looks so darn inviting. WOW
Becs @ Lay the table recently posted..Spiced rum cake with coconut whipped cream frosting
I love your stories but I love your recipes even more – this looks like a cake after my own heart!
thelittleloaf recently posted..Caramelized White Chocolate Brownies
Now that looks like my kind of cake – both with and without the Baileys. Gorgeous photos.
Choclette recently posted..Chocolate Key Lime Pie
That cake looks absolutely luscious! and I love your pink and orange nail polish ;)
Izy recently posted..Deep-Dish, Single-Lady, Salted Whole Wheat Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie (with gluten free and peanut butter cookie variations)
Hehehe I call those nails ‘calypso’ :)
Oh good lord now I want cake! Sounds fantastic :)
JJ – 84thand3rd recently posted..Gluten Free Quinoa & Buckwheat Skillet Bread
Lovely pics miss………..
It’s funny the weather must scream choc mud….. I have one in the fridge right now…….
cheryl recently posted..Roast Carrot, Potato and Quinoa side dish/salad
YUM! It has been too long since I’ve had Baileys – now I am craving it and it is only 4pm…. Substitute the regular flour and baking powder with gluten free versions and I would be one very happy gal!
Gluten Free Julia recently posted Gingerbread Balls
i may of just licked my computer screen. looks amazing!
milkteaxx recently posted..Mumu grill Crow’s Nest
Mmmm…boozy and tastes like my early 20s haha!
Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse) recently posted..Chinese New Year 2013
Wow Karen! I feel like reaching into the screen and grabbing a slice. It looks so decadent and moist!
Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul recently posted..By The Sea Side
oh my goodness!!! i could kill for spoon of it….
stunning-congrats! it looks really yummy!!!!
xxxFiC.
Fashion_iCook recently posted..Onion tart
wow, i absolutely love the intensity of the colour of the cake, and ganache! I want, even at 8.40am!! You always take the best photos. Seriously.
Tina @ bitemeshowme recently posted..Chi Chi, Canley Heights
I would so love to dip my finger in the bowl and scoop out a huge dollop of that stuff!
Spencer recently posted..Twizzlers Strawberry
I have an unsatiable appetite for chocolate cake at the moment (who am I kidding, I ate pretty much all of a frozen Sara Lee chocolate cake after I finished my high school certificate and that was a long time ago so maybe this is more of a lifetime obsession!) and this looks so decadently chocolatey, I’m there! Thanks for sharing your recipe! :D
gummi baby recently posted..The Making of a Legend
I can’t wait to make one of mine! Your cake is really amazing. Just one look at the picture, it describe how delicious it is. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
dessert recipes recently posted..Filipino Delicacies
Oh WOW! I actually want to lick my screen… this looks amazing :)
I am not much of a baker but you have inspired me! Your cake is pure chocolate perfection…
Chantelle@themarketbasket recently posted..Udon Noodle Soup
Cake with Baileys in BOTH the cake and the glaze? Please invite me over! I am absolutely pinning this!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com recently posted..Ravioli with goat cheese and spinach filling in parmesan cream sauce
I love Bailey’s and I love chocolate mud cake! How you managed to make your cake look so decadent and moist I will never know… You’re giving me major chocolate cake cravings here!
Marvellous! Incredible! Perfect! :)
ohhh my god it looks so moist and amazing! I’ll take two slices please
Ooohhh, like all the other comments, looks incredible delicious!!
Just one question: Is there anything you can replace the baileys with? I’m that big of a fan of the liqour… (Or is it a liqour? I don’t know xD )
Thanks!
//Rebecca
Hi Rebecca! Yup Baileys is indeed a liqueur made from whiskey and cream and tastes a little coffee-vanilla-ish? You could replace it with the equivalent volume of half-milk-half-cream (using all cream might be too heavy) plus a shot of espresso, a dash of vanilla and a shot of plain whiskey or brandy if you still want it a little boozy. I can’t guarantee that it will taste 100% the same because the aroma and taste of Baileys is quite distinctive but all in all, it’ll still taste fab as a chocolate cake :)
Hope this helps!
I made this last week and took it to work where it was DEMOLISHED within two days! It was very simple to make – I subbed in a coffee liqueur/milk mixture because I didn’t have Baileys – and it turned out exactly like the pictures. The mocha flavour is incredible and the icing is nice and boozy, just the way I like it! It’d go great with some vanilla ice cream too. Thanks for the recipe; I’ll definitely be making this again.
Oh wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for letting me know! Love the sound of your mocha version. Speaking of which, I do have some leftover Kahlua and Tia Maria in the cupboard… :)
What a wonderfully rich and decadent cake! It looks moorish and I challenge anyone on a diet not to eat it if put in front of them. As always, your gorgeous desserts are to die for!
Amanda@ChewTown recently posted..Larb Gai – Thai Chicken Salad
Thanks Amanda! Diet is a dirty word hehehehehe.
I think my heart just skipped a beat. Stunning…
Jen @ Savory Simple recently posted..Curried Pomegranate Pistachio Quinoa
Oh, oh, oooh….that looks totally divine!!! What I wouldn’t do for a slice of that right now…..:)
Oh my God, I have this listed in my FoodGawker favorites. I wanna make this now but I’m trying to diet. *screams*
Simply Tia recently posted..Caribbean Guinness Punch
Please also include standard amounts for those of us that are metric challanged lol
Hi please refer to http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm and http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/flour_volume_weight.html for all your conversion needs. Cheers!
Are you kidding me?!! It made my mouth water! I want a piece now!!
xo
Eleonor
Eleonor Rigby recently posted..My Week In Snapshots
Oh wow yum, your cake looks and sounds so good – love chocolate and baileys together!
Culinary crack – lol. If this is what’s on offer I’d say you are out to make a killing in your neighbourhood, Karen! ;D
Christina @ The Hungry Australian recently posted..Recipe: Thai Prawn Salad
Beautiful…so gorgeous!!!!!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.. I have one similar but with Guiness beer :)
I will make soon ..
You’re so amazing!!!!
Sorina recently posted..Tort de ..FLORII !!!! La multi ani!
Hi,
Thanks for your recipe, can’t wait to try it!!! Just wondering if I can up the quantities to make a 26cm cake? Any suggestions…
Hi Mishalishious, absolutely you can up the quantities. I used a 20cm cake tin here so (off the top of my head) for a 26cm tin, you’ll have to double the cake batter quantities and maybe 1.5 times the ganache (though I would totally double it so I can have extra ganache to eat with a spoon hehe). Hope this helps!
This looks awesome!!!! I want to bake it right now! Could you just help me out with cup measures? I don’t have kitchen scales :( Would be great if you could!
Found the answer on your blog :) Thanks anyway! And I love your work by the way :)
Gayatri recently posted..Double Chocolate Chunky Cookies
I made this cake with Amarula and it turned out great! Thanks so much for this lovely recipe!
Gayatri recently posted..Amarula Chocolate Mud Cake
I’ve only ever baked mixes before, and used this recipe for my first ever baking experience. It both looks and tastes incredible. Thank you for this lovely introduction to the world of baking!
Hi Corinne! Oh wonderful, glad you liked it and yay for baking from scratch! I hope this will inspire you to bake more and try out more recipes. If you wish, there are a quite a few more super easy cake recipes on my blog for you to check out. Get in touch if you’d like some suggestions :D
Sweet lord!!! this looks DIVINE!! You are a true artist!!
xox Amy
I’m not familiarized with irish cream.. can I use regular cream for the cake? or is it necessary? and what about the ganache? If I don’t use the irish cream, it would be 200ml of regular cream, right?
Hi Vaness, Irish Cream is just a coffee-ish liqueur so for the cake, you can either replace it with your favourite liqueur or alcohol or for non-alcoholic; milk or coffee. In the ganache, again you can use either brewed coffee or just use 200ml cream :)
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