Chocolate Irish Whiskey Cake

If you want to be a drunk Irishman for the day, this is your cake. It's flavorful and tastes like a distant cousin to Tiramisu because of the espresso grounds (I used decaf). I've eaten this for a few days now but I don't think you're supposed to hold onto it for that long. Apparently I do because I'm a gross person. I give this cake a solid 8 for sure. It was tasty and the two people I served it to loved it.

To start this is what it was supposed to look like:




And this is what my cake looked like:



Obviously, I have cake image failure. My sad lumpy cake doesn't look as pretty. If you have any suggestions on how to make a prettier layer cake, tell me because my current layers have an identity crisis. They're too mishapen and heavy to look even.

I didn't make any changes to the recipe except I used decaf because I didn't want the caffeine buzz. It's online at fine cooking:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/chocolate-irish-whiskey-cake.aspx

For the cake layers

• Unsalted butter for the pans
• 10-1/8 oz. (2-1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2-5/8 oz. (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee

For the coffee-whiskey whipped cream

• 1 Tbs. instant espresso granules
• 1/4 cup Irish whiskey, such as Jameson
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar

To finish the cake

• 1 4-oz. block semisweet chocolate (about 1-inch thick), at room temperature
• 1 4-oz. block white chocolate (about 1-inch thick), at room temperature

Make the cake

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter three 9x2-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment. Butter the parchment.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl, using an electric hand-held mixer), briefly blend the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix at low speed, scraping the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is thick and creamy, like chocolate frosting, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, gradually add the hot coffee, mixing at low speed just until combined. The batter will be quite thin. Divide the batter equally among the pans.

Bake, switching positions and rotating the pans halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it and the center feels firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on racks.

Make the coffee-whiskey whipped cream

Clean and chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment. In a measuring cup, stir the instant espresso into the whiskey until completely dissolved. In the chilled bowl, whip the cream, brown sugar, and whiskey mixture on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.

Finish the cake

Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the cake pans and turn the cakes out onto a large cutting board; peel off the parchment.

Transfer one layer to a cake plate and spread a third of the whipped cream on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border; repeat with the second layer. Put the top layer in place and spread the remaining whipped cream out to the edge.

To make the chocolate shavings, put a piece of waxed paper or foil on a baking sheet. Microwave each block of chocolate on medium power for 20 to 30 seconds to soften slightly, then draw a vegetable peeler along the chocolate bar’s edge, letting the curls fall onto the waxed paper. Make enough curls of both colors to top the cake generously, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 oz. each. Refrigerate the shavings to make them easier to handle.

Arrange the shavings on top of the cake and serve.