#BundtBakers ~ Irish Car Bomb Bundt Cake

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. Our co-hosts this month are Patricia from Patty’s Cake and Cristina from Bizcocheando. This month we were told to make a cocktail themed bundt - so ENDLESS options, to say the least!

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page. 

I've never had an Irish Car Bomb in drink form - but if it is ANYTHING like this cake it is going on my "next time I'm out at a bar list"... ok, so that's pretty much never, but you get the idea. This cake was so delicious. I had multiple issues with it - but nothing took away from the flavor. The cake is rich, chocolatey, moist, with kisses of Guinness and coffee, and the delicious glazes? Seal in that moisture, and add another layer of texture and flavor.

So here are the issues I had. Bake this in a LARGE (12-cup) bundt pan. I used my heart shaped pan which I believe is 9 cup and I had cake-splosion mid-bake. I lost probably 3/4 a cup or more of batter, watching in dismay through the window as it oozed over the side. I believe the shape of my pan and the issue with the batter then contributed to the cake sinking in the middle, during baking. I found it odd - but that's what happened! I will try this again, in a traditional round shaped, large pan to see if that resolves the issue, because the flavor and texture of the cake are so good.

My next issue was the ganache. I'm leaving the ingredient list as it is written from the original blog but my ganache recipe is nothing like what you see below. I used inferior quality baking chocolate (because I didn't want to make another trip to the store) and subsequently had to use vast quantities more of liquid (whole milk, again, using what I had!) and then quite a bit of powdered sugar to correct the consistency and sweetness. All that said, it was so good. You can play with your ganache until you get the pourable consistency you're looking for. I couldn't really taste the whiskey in the chocolate, so depending on how strong you want it, you can play with that too. The sea salt was a very nice touch to bring out the flavors.

See all the cocktail themed beautiful bundt cakes we have to share this week:

• Banana Daiquiri Bundt Cake by Bizcocheando
• Caipiroska Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes
• Dirty Banana Mini Bundts by Passion Kneaded
• Eggless Bundt Anise Pound Cake by Sneha’s Recipe
• Harvey Wallbanger Bundt Cake by The Queen of Scones
• Irish Car Bomb Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Limoncello Pound Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite A Whiskered Accomplice
• Maracuya Sour Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake
• Midori Splice Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
• Mimosa Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Margarita Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Irish Car Bomb Bundt Cake adapted from Our Food Fix

Ganache
8 ounces 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate, if using bars cut into pieces or you can use chunks/chips
½ cup heavy whipping cream (more as needed)
1-2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey, to taste
½ teaspoon sea salt

Cake
Large (12-cup) bundt pan
Butter and cocoa for greasing pan
¾ cup Stout beer (Guinness is preferred but not the regular draught)
¼ cup brewed dark roast coffee
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
⅔ cup sour cream

Baileys Glaze
1 - 1 1/2 TBS Baileys Irish Cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare bundt pan with butter (or baking spray) and cocoa powder, then set aside.
3. Combine butter, beer, and coffee in a pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts. Remove from heat and whisk in the dry ingredients until well blended.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer blend the eggs and sour cream until well combined, and smooth.
5. On low speed, add in the flour mixture until evenly combined with the sour cream mixture. 
6. Spread into the prepared bundt pan.
7. Bake in preheated oven 45 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool, meanwhile prepare the ganache.

Ganache

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat. Gently blend in cream, adding whiskey and sea salt to taste once mixture is smooth. Adjust quantities as needed to reach desired pourable consistency and desired flavor.
2. When cake is cool, pour ganache over the top, make a design, or coat the cake completely.
3. Allow the ganache covered cake to set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before preparing the glaze.

Glaze

1. Whisk Baileys and powdered sugar together until smooth. Adjust sugar and / or Baileys as needed to get a pourable consistency, but not too thin. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the ganache. Allow glaze to set before slicing and serving the cake. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.