Irish Cream Poundcake

Irish Cream Poundcake
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(1,177)
Comments
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This classic poundcake has a boozy twist that’s perfect for parties, St. Patrick’s Day and beyond. Irish cream liqueur — a rich blend of Irish whiskey, cream, sugar, vanilla and other flavorings — is added to both the batter and the glaze, which yields doubly flavorful results. The alcohol in the cake burns off during baking, but if you’d like to mute the hint of alcohol in the glaze, simply bring the Irish cream to a simmer and let it cool before whisking it with the confectioners’ sugar. Serve the cake alone, with a scoop of coffee ice cream or a hot cup of coffee (spiked with Irish cream, perhaps). The cake keeps well at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 4 days.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Cake

    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
    • 1⅔cups/215 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
    • cup/145 grams light brown sugar
    • ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
    • 4large eggs, at room temperature
    • teaspoons baking powder
    • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½cup/120 milliliters Irish cream

    For the Glaze

    • cups/155 grams confectioners’ sugar
    • 3tablespoons Irish cream, plus more as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

617 calories; 31 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 75 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 53 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 268 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, then dust with flour.

  2. Step 2

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

  3. Step 3

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the Irish cream and mix on low to combine, 15 seconds more.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Bake until the surface of the cake is lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack to cool completely.

  5. Step 5

    Make the glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar and Irish cream together in a medium bowl to form a thick glaze. Spoon the glaze over the surface of the loaf, letting the excess drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,177 user ratings
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Comments

Pantry was bare, so I substituted air for all the other ingredients and just poured a glass of Irish cream for me and dreamed about the cake.

Mix 1/4-1/2 cup Irish whiskey with a couple tablespoons of sugar. Heat on stove to dissolve sugar. When cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in the cake with a long toothpick or bamboo skewer. Pour the hot whiskey syrup ove the cake. Let cool about 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Also, I used whiskey (didn’t have Irish cream) in the glaze, which made it quite boozy tasting.

Yes. I reduced both sugars in the batter by half, added 25 grams of plain yogurt, and an extra egg. Icing per recipe. Result: nice moist crumb.

I added some ground pecan nuts, which I thought complimented the other flavors nicely. Other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe, except that my mix of brown sugar to regular sugar was a bit different, just because I used whatever I had left. I really liked the cake, and it got rave reviews from several co-workers (the kind where they stop you in the hallway with a big smile on their face)

I've made this several times and every time I think it's probably the best dessert I've ever made. Most recently made as cupcakes, dense for a cupcake but so delicious, baked for I want to say 20 minutes.

Ia accidently used medium eggs instead of large it came out fluffy and delicious but had to adjust to 45 minutes instead of 55

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