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Friday 7 March 2008

On A Pub Crawl with Sugar Plum for St Patrick’s Day!


When I saw this event I just knew I had to join in with the Irish pub-crawl food event with Emiline from Sugar Plum. This event is in honour of St Patrick’s Day 17th March and the requirements are, you make something foodie using beer, wine, or liqueur. The event runs from March 1st until Monday, March 17th.




In the wonderful lush green land of the Emerald Isle with leprechaun’s, fairies, shamrocks, shalaly sticks and The Blarney Stone, comes another great product from Ireland, Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. This is a smooth creamy whisky liqueur, which is my chosen alcohol for my “Irish Cream Liqueur chocolate cake”.

I also have a hidden ingredient in this cake that no one would ever suspect when tucking merrily into a slice. *Come closer so I can whisper to you my secret without anyone hearing us *, my cake includes mashed potato!! Gasp, horror, no my friend not at all, actually it makes a good moist sponge without tasting my secret ingredient. The sponge also has a double hit of chocolate and Irish cream liqueur with a white chocolate and Irish cream liqueur icing – slurp. For the grand finally, chocolate and sugar shamrocks! I used Green & Blacks chocolate throughout this recipe.



Go on treat yourself; I know you want a little taste from that fork while I quickly look away, wasn’t that lip smacking good ………. *Giggle*




Irish Cream Liqueur chocolate cake

Serves approx 8 - 12

Ingredients
Chocolate Green Shamrocks
75g (3 oz) good white chocolate
Edible green food colouring
For The Sponge
150g (5 oz) cooled mashed potato
175g (6oz) softened butter
175g (6oz) caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly whisked with a fork
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
50g (2 oz) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
50g (2 oz) melted milk chocolate
3 tbsp Irish cream liqueur
For The Icing
75g (3 oz) softened butter
225g (8 oz) sifted icing sugar
2 tbsp milk at room temperature
100g (4 oz) good white chocolate
1 tbsp Irish cream liqueur
For decoration
Sugar shamrocks

You will need 2 x 20cm (8 in) sandwich tins greased with butter and bases lined with greaseproof paper. A piping bag with a small writing nozzle and a sheet of greaseproof paper for the shamrocks.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°C/gas mark 4.

Firstly melt the chocolate for the shamrocks and add a little edible green food colouring stirring through and fill a piping bag and pipe shamrocks onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Leave aside to fully set.

Melt the milk chocolate and leave to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg a little at a time until all combined now add the cooled mashed potato and melted milk chocolate beating then through the mixture. In a sieve over the mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder, folding these in gently into the mixture until fully combined. Equally divide the mixture between the sandwich tins and smooth the tops of the sponge mixture before placing into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes checking at 30 minutes to see if the sponge is cooked through. The sponge should be slightly leaving the sides of the tin and feel firm to a gentle touch in the centre, also a skewer inserted into the centre should come out when baked. Leave in the tins for 10 minutes to cool then turn out onto a wire rack to fully cool. When cold remove the paper from each base.

To make the buttercream icing, Melt the white chocolate and leave aside. Add the softened butter, sifted icing sugar and milk stirring through with a wooden spoon until combined, then beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Now add the melted white chocolate and Irish cream to the icing and stir well through until all combined. Sandwich the two sponges together with about quarter of the buttercream, then place the rest on top of the cake in swirls. Scatter the sugar shamrocks over the top onto the buttercream. Gently peel off the green chocolate shamrocks and place all over the top of the cake.

24 comments:

Pixie said...

Fabulous cake Rosie, loven the little shamrocks. :)

Maria♥ said...

Another wonderful bake Rosie, that buttercream looks so yummy. I have those same shamrocks (will be bringing mine out of hiding soon!)

Maria
x

Emily said...

Yay! Great job! I'm so happy you could participate. This is a great entry.
You get extra points because I love Irish cream liqueur. And then you added potatoes too! Yummm.

Cakelaw said...

Oh yes, please Rosie, I would love a bite! Beautiful decorations, as always.

Ruth Strong said...

Great cake!!!! I didn't know about this event, you have me thinking now!

Finla said...

Mash potato ?????
That is indeed something new.
Cake looks delicious

David Hall said...

Sensational Rosie!

x

Latha Narasimhan said...

Looks delicious! :) No words to describe your baking skills!!

Rosie said...

Hi Pixie, when I spotted those little sugar shamrocks I just knew they’d come in handy for something ;D

Hi Maria, the Irish Cream makes such a difference to the buttercream flavour all the family have now had a slice and enjoyed this cake. Hey can’t wait to view your creation when you use your sprinkles sweetie I know it will be some thing wonderful :D

Hi Emiline, a great event and thanks for hosting, I really had a ball making this cake. Awe thanks for your lovely comment too….

Hi Cakelaw, you take a bite just passing over a slice for you now :D

Hi Ruth, oooh great, I can’t wait to view what you make for this event too :D

Hi Happy, yep mashed potatoes the Irish apparently use this in some of their cakes, makes a great moist sponge :D

Hi David, awe thank you :D

Hi Latha, you are so very kind in fact made my day :D

Many thanks for calling by and all your lovely comments!

Rosie x

Deeba PAB said...

Hey Rosie...Love the cake & the shamrocks. Mashed potato, Irish cream,buttercream...must havetasted great! Love the spirit of the pub crawl!!!

Chef Jeena said...

Wow Rosie this is one fantastic cake for the event. I have never used potato in a cake before but I totally agree that some of these fruits and vegetables go fantastic in baking to moisten.

This cake looks so delicious!
I will make you laugh now Rosie....today I was in at the shops and I was going to buy some baileys for a dessert to make for a family member but I changed my mind ....now I wish I bought it....maybe next time huh?

I am excited about seeing your yellow cake! :-)

Jeena x

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

What a beautiful cake! very festive!

PG said...

Very festive. Looks delicious.

It reminds me...I have to go and pick out some alcohol to make my contribution to Emiline's blogging event.

Rosie said...

Hi PB&B, the taste to this cake was lovely –well it must have been the Irish cream that made it teehee…

Hi Jeena, you wouldn’t know mashed potato was in this cake but it really does a great job of keeping it moist. I agree that many fruits & vegs do help make good cakes – look at the carrot cake. Isn’t that spooky about the baileys, perhaps next time huh?

Hi Jerri. Awe thanks :)

Hi Psychgrad, oooh can’t wait to view your entry into this event – looking forward to that :)

Thank you my friends very much for calling by always lovely to *see* you here & also for you lovely comments!

Rosie x

Ivy said...

Another great cake Rosie. You must have a very lucky family to eat all these wonderful creations of yours.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I absolutely love this cake Rosie.It is a perfect ode to the Irish and the potato. What's not to love with the addition of Irish Cream as well!!!!!

glamah16 said...

I used mashed potatoe too. Who knew it makes the cake so mosit. It works well in bread, why not in cake. And I love Baileys.

Rosie said...

Hi Ivy, *wishpering* it’s a good job hubby loves his cake so I can bake more heehee!! :D

Hi Val, a great food event and I also adored your entry too – lip smacking good!!

Hi glamah16, thanks and your cake was stunning for this event with all that Irish cream – slurp :D

Thank you ladies for popping by and for your kind comments!

Rosie x

Abitofafoodie said...

Wonderful cake, Rosie. What fun! Brilliant to include the potatoes for a truly Irish cake. I've not heard of using potatoes before. I have made a chocolate cake using courgettes before and also eaten a cake made with parsnips!

Rosie said...

Hi antonia, great to *see* you back after your break :D Chocolate & courgettes that's a real classic cake my mouth waters at the thought. I was pleased with the mashed potatoes inside this cake I have heard of using them before many moons ago

best wishes Rosie x

Maggie said...

This cake is full of such wonderful ingredients, I'm sure it was a joy to make and eat.

Rosie said...

Thank you M. The thought of adding mashed potato but, I was surprised with the moistness this made to the sponge! I live & learn :D

Best wishes Rosie x

Gretchen Noelle said...

Really fun looking cake! I love the sprinkles on top, they just top it off well! Found you from the Pub Crawl round up.

Rosie said...

Hi Gretchen Noelle, lovely to *meet* you and many thanks for your lovely comment :)

Rosie x