Irish Car Bomb Bundt Cake {GF + DF Option}
A festive holiday dessert perfect for a party. This rich chocolate cake base, topped with whiskey ganache and an Irish cream glaze, is a fun take on the classic cocktail.
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
You can substitute two standard cake pans if you don't have a bundt pan. They will bake faster so be sure and adjust your timing. If using the layer cake method, I suggest adding ganache and glaze in between the cake layers and adding some buttercream or whipped cream as a frosting.
To make this cake gluten-free, either leave out or use a GF Whiskey in the ganache, sub the all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free blend, and use root beer in place of the Stout beer. See our notes within the recipe for dairy-free options as well.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!