Irish Whiskey Cake and Ice Cream

This recipe was originally called "Irish Coffee Brownies," but mine turned out more like a cake, so I renamed it to more accurately reflect what we ate: a light, fluffy, whiskey-strong flavored delight! We were having dinner at Courtney's a couple weeks ago and since she was making a whole EF chicken for us, I figured the least we could do was bring wine and dessert. So I scoured my Pinterest page and offered her a few options for desserts, including these brownies. She didn't even look at the recipes, but immediately declared that Irish Coffee Brownies were what she wanted. When I got home from work, all I had to pick up was instant coffee crystals and the dessert was under way!


This was maybe a slightly more involved recipe than usual, but the end result was worth it. While they didn't quite turn out as dense as you expect brownies too, they flavor of the cake was good. I would probably recommend waiting until you're actually ready to serve it before adding the glaze, because the cake kind of sopped it up and the whiskey flavor was pretty strong (not that that's a bad thing...). At Courtney's, we had it with regular vanilla ice cream and it was beautiful. Then, a few days later, the cake was drying out a bit, and I came home one evening to find that Will had taken a few slices and thrown it in with some ice cream. That made it even better! So enjoy the recipe for both the ice cream and cake below :)

Baking Notes: I pretty much followed this recipe as is, yet somehow mine resulted in a cake, not brownies. Either way, it turned out pretty well and was enjoyed by all. The one thing I will say is that you definitely have to sift the powdered sugar! It's a massive pain in the ass, but I can see why it would never work in the glaze if you don't do it.

Irish Whiskey Cake (adapted from Confident Kitchen; serves 16)
Cake
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
2 tbsp instant coffee crystals
Glaze
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp Irish whiskey
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
3-4 tbsp brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan. Then, begin to heat sugar, butter, and 1/2 cup cocoa powder in a large saucepan over medium heat until butter melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, adding eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat lightly until just combined.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, then set aside. Stir together milk and 1/4 cup whiskey, then stir in coffee crystals. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to the chocolate mixture, beating by hand after each addition. Pour into baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

While the cake is baking, prepare the Irish coffee glaze. Stir together sifted powdered sugar (yes, take the time to sift it), 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tbsp Irish whiskey, and 1 1/4 tsp vanilla. Stir in 3-4 tbsp brewed coffee until reaching a drizzly consistency. Once cake has cooled, spread over top and serve!

Recipe: Confident Kitchen: Irish Coffee Brownies

Irish Whiskey Cake Ice Cream (serves a bunch)

2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2-3 slices of Irish whiskey cake
1/2 - 1 tbsp Irish whiskey

Whisk together egg yolk and 1/4 cup sugar until eggs are light yellow and fluffy. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Add the cream, milk, and vanilla extract, whisking together until completely combined. Chill in your fridge until cold (2 hours or overnight). When chilled, add to ice cream maker, following manufacturers instructions. After 30 minutes of churning, add Irish whiskey cake and whiskey. Allow to stir for the last 5 minutes, then stick ice cream bowl in freezer for 5-10 minutes before scooping out ice cream to enjoy!