Born around the height of the Great Cupcake Fad, this cake actually began life in the form of the little cloud-topped, cup-shaped treats. The basic components were chocolate cake, chocolate ganache and swiss buttercream, none of which is particularly unusual and all of which are easily translatable into a scrumptious layer cake.
The final component of my Whiskey Cake is the secret... You may be able to guess what it is.
Unsurprisingly, I wasn't even the first to think of putting whiskey in a chocolate cake: I was inspired by this recipe for Chocolate Irish Tipsy Cake that my mom once made for St. Patrick's Day. It's quick, simple and delightfully delectable. As much as I enjoy baking things from scratch, it can be hard to beat a simple box cake every now and again, and the addition of the instant pudding pack really gives the cake a ton of moisture. Topped with this Hot Buttered Whiskey Glaze from Jack Daniel's, all I can say is - yum!
In a way, I can't give away the exact recipe for my cake because the recipe isn't exact. I put whiskey in everything, but never in the same amount. It's in the cake (pre-bake, substitute for part of the measurement of coffee, or other liquid such as water if called for), in the ganache and in the buttercream (you would think it wouldn't hold it, but it does). For the latter two especially I use the pour-and-keep-pouring-til'-it-tastes-right method; let your taste buds be your guide By the time it tastes right to me my olfactory senses are buzzing too...
I've always opted to use Irish whiskey (Jameson is great if it's on sale) because I'm not a huge fan of the smokey peat of Scotch whisky. Last week, however, the idea was to honour the great Scottish bard Robert Burns, and so a Whisky (without the 'e' - trust me, it can be a touchy topic) Cake it had to be.
The most labour-intensive aspect of this cake is making the buttercream. I've commented on it before here (and chocolate cake here and ganache here), but briefly: 1.) Beat a meringue to a stiff peak.
2.) When the meringue has cooled to room temperature, chop more unsalted butter than you ever want to think about or see and beat it into the meringue, a few pieces at a time,
3.) It'll look gross...
4.) Then it will look even worse...
But, 5.) If you and your hand mixer are able to power through it, the result - a light silky smooth buttercream - will be worth it. Just don't think about the butter.
(A side note: if you are lucky enough to have a stand mixer I'm sure I don't have to tell you to use that instead of a hand mixer, but make sure that you use the paddle attachment for the butter-beating; it will ensure far-fewer air bubbles, which is really what you want for a smooth surface on your cake).
Once the buttercream is finished, add your whiskey, and if you haven't put it in the ganache yet, throw some in there too. For the cake itself, split your cake layers (best done after the layers have had a brief stint in the fridge or freezer), and spread a layer of ganache on each. If your ganache hasn't set, you can try adding more melted chocolate (reheat the ganache a bit first so it doesn't freeze up) and cool it all again, or you can use a thin layer of moderately loose ganache and let it set on the layers in the freezer for a few minutes. Once the layer of ganache is firm, spread a layer of buttercream on top. Stack on the next cake layer and repeat until you get to the top layer, which should not have ganache on it.
Cover the cake with the remaining buttercream, pipe on borders or a design if desired, and enjoy!
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