What can be more Irish than a good Irish Whiskey, St Patrick’s day is one of my favorite times of the year.
St Patrick’s day has always been a bit of a great memory for me. My brother and I had birthdays 1 day apart, his on the 10th and mine on the 11th of March. Our cakes decorations and birthday cards always seemed to have shamrocks and leprechauns all over them. I even used to love this sugary sweet lime green cake you could find from a mix that my mom would make for me. Also, grandmother and two of her older siblings were all born on St Patrick’s Day itself. Her older brother was named Patrick and then came my Great Aunt Patrica whom I spent a lot of time talking with when I was young. And finally my beloved grandmother Betty (Elizabeth) they ran out of ideas for a Patrick name by then! So my home was always a happy, exciting time around St Patrick’s Day. I wonder if that is why my favorite color is green?
It’s funny I never equated drinking and other shenanigans with St Patrick’s Day until I moved to New York. Yes, there were always parties and green beer to participate in. But never have I seen the craziness that I’ve experienced walking the streets and riding the subways and trains of the New York Area.
All that being said I ran across a whiskey-soaked cake that I’ve wanted to play around with for some time. And I do love a good glass of whiskey. This cake has a delicious flavor of whiskey throughout. With a nice crunch of green pistachios. The key is to brush and pour the glaze over the cake while it is still hot to let all the whiskey goodness soak into the already moist cake. Adding Espresso powder inhances the whiskey flavor and the pistachios is a bit of whimsy for St Patrick’s Day, and I love the crunch.
This cake was very easy to make, it took me less than 30 minutes to beat and mix it together. Just have the glaze ready when you invert the cake and quickly pour on the glaze. After that, you are done unless you want to dress it up with some chopped pistachios and a white glaze to finish it off.
A whiskey soaked cake that is full of Irish whiskey flavor. Perfect for an Irish treat!
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup good Irish Whiskey
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 3/ 4 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup unsalted roasted and shelled pistachios chopped
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup good Irish Whiskey
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons good Irish whiskey
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Preheat oven to 350°.
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Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.
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Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and the salt, set aside.
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Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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Combine the whiskey and espresso powder in a small measuring cup or bowl, stir to dissolve the powder, if it doesn’t fully dissolve you can briefly warm the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds, be careful not get it more than just barely warm.
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When dissolved, add to the butter mixture. Beat until well combined.
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By hand fold in ½ of the flour mixture following by all of the buttermilk and then the remaining flour mixture alternating with buttermilk.
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Fold in chopped pistachios.
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Spread the batter into the prepared Bundt Pan.
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Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester when inserted near the center comes out clean. And it is golden brown.
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Let the cake cool for 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile mix together the glaze: in a small bowl or measuring cup mix together the water, ½ cup whiskey, and the powdered sugar.
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When the cake has cooled 10 minutes in the pan invert onto a wire rack over a cookie sheet.
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Immediately pour and brush the glaze over the hot cake, scooping any glaze that falls below back onto the cake until most of the glaze has been absorbed.
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When completely cooled place the cake on a serving platter or stand
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Combine the 1 cup of powdered sugar and the Irish Whiskey. Pour over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.
Or you can sprinkle with more chopped pistachios when ready to serve or dust with powdered sugar. If you want to not double glaze the cake.
