La Merenda’s Irish Car Bomb Cake

Date

12/07/2013

LA MERENDA’S IRISH CAR BOMB CAKE

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

1 cup Guinness beer

½ cup (1 stick) butter

¾ cup Omanhene cocoa powder (see note)

2 cups sugar

¾ cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Soaking liquid (see recipe)

Frosting (see recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Very lightly grease 12 jumbo muffin cups with vegetable oil spray.

Pour beer into a medium saucepan with butter and heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa and sugar.

In a small bowl, beat sour cream, eggs and vanilla, then whisk into beer mixture. Add combined flour and baking soda.

Pour into muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full.

Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out very clean. Cupcakes should be dry, not moist at this point. (While baking, do not move tins or shake them as this could cause the muffins to sink.)

While cupcakes bake, make soaking liquid and frosting.

When cupcakes are done, remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes, but do not take out of muffin pan. Poke holes in tops of cupcakes and slowly pour soaking liquid over muffins. You will need about 1/3 cup liquid per muffin. Let sit 20 minutes.

Carefully remove muffins from pan by first sliding a knife around the edges, then using a fork to lift muffins out of the tin. Set on a plate and frost generously.

Note: This cocoa powder is from Ghana. It is available at Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. in Bay View or online.

SOAKING LIQUID:

½ cup Guinness beer

1 cups heavy whipping cream

¾ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

Combine all ingredients and mix until combined.

FROSTING:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 ½ packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream (about)

1 tablespoon Jameson Irish whiskey (about)

2 cups powdered sugar (about)

In a large bowl, combine butter and cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add Irish cream and whiskey, then gradually add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.