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Thinkin’ it’s about time for some cake.

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Irish style of course, because that just seems to be my thing this week. Don’t hate it, embrace it! It’s a cake you would crave on any day, but especially on a Friday.

But first, starting off on a random note, did you know that spring officially starts a week from today?

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Thoughts of spring make me SO happy. Not because I am beyond tired of the snow, but more because of the thought of flowers and colors, and ok, maybe a trip to Florida that I am still hoping to make it on.

Still, springs is in a week. Ya hooo!!

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And now that I’ve got that out of my system, let’s do a quick chat about this Irish coffee chocolate cake.

It’s actually a gluten-free cake, filled with chocolate, a little stout beer, CRAZY MOIST, topped with ganache and salty Bailey’s cream. See, so perfect, right?

 

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Best part is that it’s actually pretty quick and simple to make too. Eat warm out of the oven or let sit and eat at room temperature. Out of the oven is my preferred form of consumption, but just note that if you try to add the whipped cream before the top is cool, it will melt. So if you are planning to make this for a group and care about presentation, let the cake cool first.

If you could care less about how the thing looks, slice the cake while warm. Drizzle with ganache (a hefty amount please) and dollop with whipped cream…oh and maybe, if you are feeling a tad devilish, or simply that it’s Friday and you deserve this, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and make a sundae of sorts. Oh yes, now we are talking.

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And that’s kind of all I have to say today. It’s been a semi-long week. Not a bad one, just kind of long, but a week full of little Asher talking till she literally passes out. My dad got the grunt of it, but I still got my fair share. So now that my she is back at home with my mom, who arrived home last night, my brain needs to think a few Asherless thoughts.

Meaning, I really want to NOT think about cats, be done playing school and give my ears a rest from my six-year-old sister’s latest dissertations on topics such as how she NEEDS powdered sugar on her blueberries (what the what? EWW), how cats need their own holidays and how she is never going to get to use her passport.

Even though she talks a lot (and I mean A LOT), I’d still take her any day, any time. I could never tire of Asher…

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Without this cake though, I might be singing a different tune. Cake can help to drown out all the talking and difficult questions. It can somehow give you magical strength to ignore the surrounding mess, including the pretty pictures… painted on my floors. Yes, this cake can take care of all that.

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey's Cream.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 1117 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces dark chocolate chopped
  • 1/3 cup stout I used Guinness, use a gluten free beer or coffee for a gluten free cake
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 13 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick + 5 tablespoons)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 6 eggs whites and yolks separated
  • 1 3/4 cup almond meal/flour ground almonds
  • chopped chocolate and cocoa for dusting

Ganache

  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1-2 tablespoons whiskey

Whipped Cream

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and line a 9-10 inch spring form pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
  • Place the chocolate, stout beer, instant coffee and butter in a small saucepan. Place over low heat and gently cook (over the lowest heat) until melted and smooth. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Cool slightly.
  • Add the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs yolks and almond meal until smooth.
  • Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen and then fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared spring form pan.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes until just cooked through. The center should jiggle and be soft. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack.
  • Meanwhile, make the ganache. In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until melted. Once melted stir in the Bailey's and a pinch of salt. Pour the ganache over top the cake. Allow the ganache to set up slightly before adding the whipped cream.
  • To make the whipped cream, use an electric mixer to whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the Bailey's and salt, whip until combined.
  • Top the cake with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa if desired. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes

*Inspired by Delicious Magazine December 2014 Issue.
View Recipe Comments

Drunken, Sunken Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake with Salted Bailey’s Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

You see, chocolate and booze (when baked together)? They work miracles.

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Comments

  1. Question – I am making this cake today and was curious are the two tablespoons of instant coffee already brewed that it is a liquid addition or is it supposed to be powder? Thx

    1. Hi Carrie,
      For this recipe, you are just going to use the instant espresso powder, you do not need to brew it:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT

  2. 5 stars
    One addition to my comments below — the recipe as written has a typo. It says to add Baileys to the ganache but it should say to add the whiskey. I was glad I had read the comments first where someone else asked about this, so I didn’t mess it up.

  3. 5 stars
    This was rich and delicious. After taste-testing the finished cake on its own, I was worried it wouldn’t be very flavorful — but the stout cake, whiskey ganache, and Bailey’s salted whipped cream (don’t forget the salt!) all built on each other for a rich and not-too-sweet cake that is a little different from the norm. Made it for my husband’s birthday and it got a 5/5 from him and our friends!

    1. Hey Amanda,
      Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️

  4. 3 stars
    I loved the baileys whipped cream, but the cake was far too rich for me. It was on the same level as a chocolate lava cake. Could only eat three bites without feeling sick. I would definitely like to make the icing and ganache again to top a less dense cake.

  5. Can you please show me your recipe for the homemade baileys Irish cream.
    You posted it in instragram and now I can’t find it.
    Thanks so much

    1. Hey Maureen,
      I use store bought Bailey’s Irish cream. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions and Happy Holidays! xTieghan

  6. I baked this cake yesterday for my Irish, gluten-intolerant, firecracker, chocolate-loving friend’s birthday! When I saw the recipe, I knew it was fate. Also, the egg-whites in the batter, topped off with the Bailey’s whipped cream, really lighten-up / “fluffify” this otherwise dense dessert. It was perfectly rich! Thank you.

  7. Yep, made this on St. Patrick’s Day, & it was a huge hit!!! Great flavors!!! Recipe worked perfectly, will make again!
    Thank you!!!

  8. Hi Teighen,
    I plan on making this cake and wanted to know what would be the best substitute for 1/3 cup of beer. I have someone who is gluten free and one person allergic to beer, so wanted to know what’s the best substitute. Dying to make this cake, it looks amazing!!

    1. Hi! You can swap the beer the for water or milk. Not a big deal at all. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!

  9. Hey Tieghan,
    I made your cake the other day. And the weirdest thing happened:
    It was OK when we first tried, but definitely not spectecular.
    And than the next day it was simply amazing!
    I mean there really was an enormous difference. The flavours were just so much more intense!
    Just thought you might like to know.

    1. Hmm! Sometimes, things just need time for flavors to settle and blend into each other. The kind of mend together. Especially when alcohol is involved. Happy you are loving it now! 🙂