Go Back
–+ servings
A slice of Irish whiskey chocolate cake on a wooden plate with a bottle of Jameson behind it.
Print

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Cake With Baileys Mousse

Indulge in complete decadence with this Irish whiskey chocolate cake! Each layer of fluffy, moist chocolate cake is filled with a delicate, airy Baileys mousse and then covered in rich chocolate ganache frosting. This whiskey-flavored chocolate cake is one show-stopping dessert that will leave your guests wowed.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Irish
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 14 people
Calories 555kcal
Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Hand or stand mixer
  • Parchment paper
  • Wire racks

Ingredients

Baileys Mousse

  • 8 ounces semi-sweet or 70% bittersweet chocolate chopped
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 3 eggs separated
  • 4 tablespoons white sugar divided
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup Baileys Irish Cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

  • 1 pound semi-sweet or 70% bittersweet chocolate chopped
  • 2 cups heavy cream

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Cake

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar spooned and leveled
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder spooned and leveled, preferably the special dark type
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk shaken before measuring
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
  • 1 cup Irish whiskey

Instructions

Baileys Mousse

  • Add chopped chocolate, butter and espresso powder to a heat-resistant bowl and place over pot of simmering water. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Check the water to make sure it's just a simmer and not boiling. If it boils, turn down heat. Add one yolk at a time and stir until well combined in the melted chocolate and the mixture is smooth.
  • In another bowl, add the egg whites and 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
  • In a third bowl, beat the heavy cream, Baileys Irish Cream, vanilla and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until it becomes the consistency of whipped cream.
  • Gently fold in the egg whites into the chocolate until combined. Then, fold in the Baileys whipped cream. Cover in an airtight container and chill until set, about one to two hours. You can also make this the day before baking the cake if you'd like to divide up steps.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

  • Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it simmers, turn off heat and pour over the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit for five minutes.
  • Stir the chocolate and cream until the chocolate becomes smooth. Set aside in room temperature to allow to thicken and give it a stir every so often. By the time you're ready to frost the cake, it should be a spreadable consistency.

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Cake

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. For the proper parchment paper size, trace the cake pan on parchment paper and then cut out the circle. Set prepared pans aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, dark brown sugar, espresso powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder until combined.
  • Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for two minutes.
  • Heat the Irish whiskey in a microwave until hot, about a minute or two, depending on how powerful your microwave is. Stir in the Irish whiskey into the batter. At this point, the batter will be thin with a strong Irish whiskey flavor.
  • Pour the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 23-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow the cakes to sit for 10 minutes in the pans. Run a butter knife along the side of the cake pans to help loosen the cake and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
  • Place one cake on your serving platter. Spread half the Baileys mousse on top. Place the second cake on top and spread with the other half the Baileys mousse. Add the remaining cake on top and then frost with the chocolate ganache frosting. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • For baking at 5,200 feet altitude, I used ⅞ teaspoon baking soda, ⅞ teaspoon baking powder and 2 additional tablespoons buttermilk. Those are the only adjustments I made.
  • Do not scoop your flour, cocoa powder and sugar. Spoon the ingredients into your measuring cup and use a butter knife to level. Scooping results in overpacking.
  • If you forget to set your eggs out in room temperature, you can speed up the process by placing the eggs in warm -- not hot -- water for about 10 minutes.
  • Make sure to check the expiration dates on your baking soda and baking powder. You must replace them if they're expired.
  • Do not open the oven door before you're ready to test the cake's doneness. This can leave you with a sunken middle.
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 963IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2mg