St Patrick’s Day Dessert: Irish Car Bomb Bundt Cake
Holidays are an exciting time for those of us in the food world, but the real treat is enjoying the holiday food. It means new and updated recipes, parties, gatherings, and something fun to look forward to.
St Patrick’s Day is one of my personal favorite holidays. I am Irish, not by a huge percentage, but I celebrate the heritage I have. Most importantly, I truly adore Irish food. Bring on all the corned beef, cabbage, festive drinks and treats, and let’s not forget the most crazy of indulges – the Irish Car Bomb.
Tell me you have had one, at least once in your life? If not, let me walk you through the basics. It consists of 3 parts.
- Can or bottle of Guinness Stout
- Half a shot of Baileys or other Irish cream
- Half a shot of Jameson or other Irish Whiskey
To prepare the beverage you fill a pint glass about halfway with Guinness, add the Baileys to a single shot glass, layer the Whiskey on top of the Baileys, then drop the shot in the beer.
Next, quickly cheers your friends (and I do mean quickly), then chug the entire mixture. There is a serious need to drink this really fast. If you let the mixture sit for too long, it becomes, shall we say, less than appetizing.
Now, I realize this doesn’t exactly sound appealing. And yes, it does bring us all back to our college days. But seriously friends, as long as you drink it quickly, it tastes like a deliciously creamy milkshake. No joke! Those who enjoy this beverage once a year will agree with me, it is surprisingly good.
Which is why we take these same elements and turn them into a sweeter, richer, dessert. Get it now? You will.
I began my car bomb dessert career making cupcakes. These are super popular, surely many of you have enjoyed these at some point.
If you are a cupcake fan and have extra time on your hands, these Car Comb Cupcakes from Brown Eyed Baker are my all-time favorite. I have made these for years and they never disappoint.
But sometimes I want something different. Something that I can make in much less time, and is great for a crowd. As much as the frosting is a key component in any cupcake, it can be totally overwhelming. Not to mention insanely sweet.
So when I set out to create an alternative to the cupcakes, I wanted something with more of a chocolate focus. Something rich, more cake-forward since this was always my favorite part of it all, and bursting with dark chocolate flavor.
The whiskey ganache and Irish cream had to make an appearance somewhere, so we decided to make them into drippable toppings and smother the cake with both.
I assure you the end product is still decadent and full of the flavors you love. And for those who aren’t big drinkers, this is a fun and festive take on the car bomb.
While this is far from a Paleo dessert, it is a great gift to bring to a party, or worth an indulgence for those who can manage it.
We have, however, included a gluten-free and dairy-free option for a slightly healthier spin. Hey, it’s St Patrick’s Day, and we tried.
Sláinte!
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Irish Car Bomb Bundt Cake {GF + DF Option}
Equipment
- Bundt Pan
Ingredients
Ganache
- 8 ounces 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate if using bars cut into pieces or you can use chunks/chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or coconut cream for dairy-free
- 1-2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey to taste (leave out for gluten-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cake
- Large bundt pan
- Butter or oil and cocoa for greasing pan
- 3/4 cup Stout beer Guinness Stout preferred, or sub Root beer for gluten-free
- 1/4 cup brewed dark roast coffee
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter (Kerrygold preferred), or butter-flavored coconut oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose or gluten-free flour blend
- 2 cups ultra fine/baker's sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream or dairy-free cream cheese
Baileys Glaze
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream or dairy-free Irish Cream
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar plus more to taste
Instructions
Ganache
- Heat chocolate and cream over a double boiler, stirring often until chocolate melts and the mixture is homogeneous. Alternatively, heat cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Watching the cream carefully to ensure it does not boil, heat just until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Pour heated cream over chocolate pieces and let sit for 1 minute, then stir to combine.
- Stir in Whiskey, if using, and salt to taste. Set ganache aside to cool to room temperature.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and prep cake pan by greasing liberally with butter or oil, then sprinkling with cocoa powder. Shake cocoa throughout pan then dump any excess. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat stout (or root beer), coffee, and butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter or oil melts. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl or stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream (or DF cream cheese) on medium until homogeneous, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, drizzle in cooled chocolate-beer mixture, beating until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add flour mixture in 3 small increments, beating on low until barely combined, then adding the next batch. Fold batter with a spatula to finish mixing, then pour into prepared pan. Do not over mix batter or your cake will be too stiff.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Err on the side of under baking, you don't want a completely clean toothpick (aka an over baked cake).
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Baileys Glaze
- Add Baileys and sugar to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Note the consistency will be slightly runny. If you prefer more of a frosting, add additional sugar to reach your desired consistency.
Assembly
- Once cake is completely cooled, run a flexible spatula around the edges, and invert onto a parchment lined sheet pan or platter.
- Warm the ganache in the microwave if needed. You want a consistency that allows you to drizzle. Using a small spoon, scoop up about a tablespoon of ganache and begin drizzling over the top of the cake. This isn't an exact science and doesn't need to look perfect, have fun with it. Just be sure and cover the entire cake. Set cake in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes while the ganache sets. Make your glaze while you wait.
- Once the ganache is set, remove cake and begin the same process with the baileys glaze. The cake can be set at room temperature for the glaze to set, or again returned to the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before slicing and serve with a side of Irish coffee or beer. Sláinte!
Notes
Recipe inspired by: Brown Eyed Baker Irish Car Comb Cupcakes
Oh my goodness! Does this ever look delicious. And anything with Baileys Irish Cream is probably incredible.
Thanks Rachel! It definitely is over the top awesome. You’ll love it ?
This looks absolutely insane! I have indeed indulged in the Irish car bomb but I know i’ll like this version so much better. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Leanna! You’ll love this variation for sure. Let us know once you try it ?
This looks delicious! I’m trying to eat the screen.
Absolutely Cheryl! I know the feeling 🙂
Your deserts are always the highlight to our St. Patrick’s Day gatherings!! This looks awesome, so should I assume you’ll do dessert?! ?
Thanks girl! You can always count on me to bring dessert, and I take requests ?
This cake sounds amazing! I’ve always liked Irish Car bombs so i can only imagine how tasty this cake is.
Thanks Sondra! You will definitely love it then ?
Wow, this cake looks amazing! Sounds like a delicious combo of flavors too!
Thanks Joscelyn! The flavor combo is amazing for sure ?
In step 5 for the cake, you state to drizzle in the cooled chocolate. Do you mean the stout, coffee, butter mixture? I’m assuming, so that’s what I’m going to do (I’m making this right now!)
Hi Julie! Yes the stout, coffee, butter and cocoa mixture. I’ll update the recipe as well to make sure that’s clear ? We hope you enjoy the cake and please share your feedback and photos!
I made this yesterday for St Patrick’s Day and it is hands down the best cake I’ve ever made. Awesome recipe!!!
Hooray! So happy to hear this and glad you enjoyed it! Thanks a million for sharing ?
Love that you included gluten free options and it looks amazing. I mean how could it not be with car bomb in the title ?
Thanks, Jamie! We aim to please ? And I agree!
Does the baking time differ if you use two round cake pans? Thanks!
Hi Anna, yes definitely. I would start checking them after 10-15 minutes. The edges should be set and a toothpick should come out mostly clean.
Love this cake! I have made it twice now for two different dinner party’s and everyone has loved it! I need to make it non-Alcohol version, you say you can use root beer instead of the beer but what about the whiskey and Bailey’s? Thanks
Thank you so much Rachael! I am so happy to hear you love it 🙂 Yes, you can use root beer in place of the beer. I would also use almond or vanilla extract instead of the whiskey, and plain cream or flavored non-dairy milk instead of the Bailey’s. For instance, we love Califa Farms Toasted Coconut Almond Milk, which would be an amazing flavor in the cream glaze along with almond extract in the ganache. In fact, I think we just created a new version of this recipe!
The Irish Car Bomb cake is absolutely fabulous! Moist, rich, chocolatey goodness topped off with just the right amount of boozy deliciousness with the ganache and glaze! It was pretty easy to make due to the very detailed instructions! It was a huge hit at our friends’ St Patrick’s Day dinner! I recommend serving with a bit of ice cream on the side.
Erin, yay! You just made my day ? So glad you and your friends loved the Car Bomb Cake! It’s so fun and decadent and I think the addition of ice cream is a great suggestion. Thanks a million for sharing ?
Hi, is there an alternative for the ultra fine bakers sugar? I cannot find it locally and need ASAP
Hi there! You can use regular granulated sugar instead. Bonus if you blend it at home to make it extra fine ? Let me know how it turns out!