Bready or Not: Irish Coffee Coffee Cake
Irish Coffee Coffee Cake! Yes, the word “Coffee” is intentionally in this recipe’s name twice. That’s because it’s a coffee cake that includes coffee, and also a nip of whiskey, because why not?
I can tell you why the whiskey should be there–because it adds a fresh zip of flavor to an already delicious cake.
This is a recipe that take some effort. It dirties a lot of dishes. However, it’s also a special cake that looks and tastes like it required that extra effort.
Really, this is a cake to make to impress guests or for a brunch or a birthday or holiday event. I’m posting it over a week in advance of St. Patrick’s Day so that some folks can perhaps throw it together this weekend! Note that this cake freezes very well, too.
When I do recipes that include alcohol, I inevitably get asked: what did you use? Also, I don’t drink, can I omit the alcohol? To the first question, I used Green Spot whiskey, which is my personal favorite. As to the second, I haven’t tried the recipe without whiskey, but I imagine it would be just fine, especially if you like a strong coffee flavor.
Baking the cake as described below, the result is a lofty, spongy cake with a zing of whiskey and a deep coffee flavor. The moist crumb is a lovely contrast to the crumble layers through the middle and on top.
Modified from Bake from Scratch Jan/Feb 2019 issue.
Bready or Not: Irish Coffee Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch square pan
- food processor
- offset spatula
Ingredients
Irish Whiskey Streusel
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1 Tablespoon Irish whiskey
Coffee Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup whole buttermilk or soured milk, see note
- 1/3 cup Irish whiskey
- 2 Tablespoons espresso powder
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Drop in the butter and whiskey, and pulse again until it forms pea-sized crumbs. Chill mix in fridge. Note that the streusel can be made a day ahead of the rest of the cake.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil to extend up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and white sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
- In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl, combine the buttermilk/soured milk, whiskey, espresso powder, and vanilla, stirring gently until the espresso powder is dissolved and not clumpy.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients into the butter and sugar, alternating back and forth, until everything is combined.
- Spoon about half the batter into the prepared pan; batter will be thick, and an offset spatula will make it easier to even out. Sprinkle half the streusel mix over the batter. Dollop on the remaining batter and even out again. Crumble the rest of the streusel over the top.
- Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, until the middle of the cake passes the toothpick test. Cool completely in pan. Use the foil to lift it onto a cutting board to slice.
- Cake pieces keep well in sealed container at room temperature for at least 3 days. Pieces can also be wrapped up and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Bready or Not: Irish Apple Cake
I’ve posted many different recipes for apple cake. This Irish Apple Cake uses a 9-inch round cake pan with layers of cake, apple, and streusel.
This isn’t a light, airy cake. It’s dense and moist. It’s a cake that is ideally paired with tea, coffee, or hot cider.
It’s not heavily sweet, either, but the sweetness that is there arises from the apple and that wonderful crumble topping.
The big thing that sets this cake apart from other recipes is that you do experience the textural variations between the layers. It really reminds me of my family favorite Caramel Apple Pie in that regard.
This cake is best eaten fresh, but fear not! If you freeze it when it’s fresh, it will be wonderfully preserved for later on. Just eat it right after it’s thawed.
Modified from a Gemma Stafford recipe in Food Network Magazine, March 2021.
Bready or Not: Irish Apple Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch cake pan
Ingredients
Streusel
- 6 Tablespoons cold butter
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- pinch salt
Cake
- 1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 3 medium baking apples such as Fuji or Granny Smith, peeled and thinly sliced
- confectioners' sugar for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9-inch cake pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- Make the streusel first. Dice up the butter in a medium bowl. Add the flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Using fingers, compress and break apart the butter into small crumbs distributed throughout the dry mix. Set the bowl in fridge to chill while assembling the cake.
- Cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet along with the milk. Once everything is just mixed, pour it into the prepared pan. Place the apple slices one at a time to form an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel on top and even it out.
- Bake the cake until the top is golden, about 60 to 70 minutes. The middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool at room temperature, eventually placing in fridge to speed the process, if desired.
- Cut into 1/8ths. Top pieces with sprinkled confectioners’ sugar to make it even more pretty. The cake is best eaten fresh, but pieces can also be individually frozen the day of baking for a delicious treat later.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Whiskey Cake
This Chocolate Whiskey Cake is dense, moist, and delicious–the perfect cake for chocoholics.
This is the first entry in a special sequence of deliciousness, too–three weeks in a row with Ireland-inspired recipes. Look for Irish Apple Cake and Irish Coffee Coffee Cake in the coming weeks!
This is the kind of cake that doesn’t need frosting; that would actually be overkill. If desired, add a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar on top, but that’s more about adding some color contrast than flavor.
So, what IS the flavor here? Chocolate. Coffee. And yes, whiskey–that adds a refreshing waft. I used Green Spot Irish Whiskey, my favorite, and one I’m fortunate enough to find sometimes at Costco around St. Patrick’s Day! Total Wine carries it year-round, too.
Eat this cake within a day or two, or wrap up pieces and freeze for later! It thaws, no problem at all.
I modified this a lot from an original take at NYT Cooking.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Whiskey Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- parchment paper
- food scale
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 cups brewed strong coffee
- 1/2 cup Irish whiskey
- 1 cup white sugar
- 156 grams light brown sugar note this is weighed, not packed
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder sifted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- Confectioners' sugar for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot on low heat, warm the butter, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, coffee, and Irish whiskey. Once the butter is melted, stir in the sugars until they are dissolved. Remove from heat to cool, 30 minutes at minimum.
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the springform pan. Apply nonstick spray to pan, place parchment inside, then spray again. Dust the interior with the remaining 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder to coat.
- In a big bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and cloves. In a different bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Gradually stir the egg mixture into the butter-cocoa pot. Add the dry ingredients to just combine, then fold in the chopped chocolate.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake for 65 to 70 minutes, until the middle just passes the toothpick test. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then release sides of pan to let the cake cool completely.
- Slice into wedges to serve. Add confectioners’ sugar sprinkled on top, if desired. Keep cake covered at room temperature up to 2 days. Remaining pieces can be sliced and individually wrapped and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Giant Snickerdoodle
I have recipes for various kinds of Snickertdoodle Cookies, but this one is for a single Giant Snickerdoodle!
When I say this thing is big, I mean that it is BIG. I baked it on my stoneware pizza pan! I measured the cookie, too–after baking, it was a full 10 inches across.
This is a great cookie for one person to enjoy over a week, or for a small party to dig into together. Really, I can see this being perfect as a substitute birthday or other celebration cake.
The dough is really easy to work with. It comes together fast because you’re not having to shape and roll some thirty or forty cookies and bake multiple batches. One roll, one bake, done!
This tastes exactly as you expect a Snickerdoodle to taste, too. The signature cream of tartar flavor is there. The cinnamon and sugar form a lovely crackled top. The interior is sweet and chewy.
Leftovers aren’t a problem, either. Wrap up any remaining wedges, and they’ll keep for at least four days, dependent on your personal fortitude.
Here is a sampling of the Snickerdoodle recipes on Bready or Not. If you want more, hit the search box in the upper right corner.
Bready or Not: Giant Snickerdoodle
Equipment
- large flat baking sheet or pizza pan/ stone
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Dough
- 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Line a baking sheet or pizza pan/stone with parchment paper.
- Beat together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer. Add egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients.
- Pat the dough to form a cohesive ball. Roll it in the topping. Set dough in middle of pan and press into about a 8-inch round. Sprinkle remaining topping all over, pressing it into dough.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The edges should be set, with some of the crackles in the cookie still showing some moisture (the cookie will finish baking as it sets).
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut cookie into triangular wedges. Cookie is great fresh, but individually-wrapped pieces also keep wonderfully at room temperature for up to 4 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Comte Pull-Apart Rolls
Bread is awesome. Cheese is awesome. Combine them to achieve a special kind of awesome, especially in the case of these Comte Pull-Apart Rolls.
These rolls are tender, soft, and inherently savory. They are perfect to go along with roasts.
First of all, the cheese. If you live in a cheese-deprived area as I do, Comte may not be available (or is only available at Christmas, sigh) or is prohibitively expensive. Really, you can use any cheese you like here, but I advise using one with a savory note. Another alpine cheese or a bandage-wrapped cheddar would do the trick.
My recipe is based on one featured in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of Bake from Scratch. I made significant modifications, the foremost being that I halved the recipe so that it would only produce 12 rolls.
This recipe isn’t as fussy as some homemade rolls, but it still takes some time and effort. I was very worried because my first rise was so low, but my rolls rose beautifully once they were formed. That’s the rise that really matters!
If you want to give your second rise a boost, use this trick: preheat your oven at 200-degrees. Shape your rolls or bread. Stick the dough in the oven without any plastic wrap or cover. Immediately turn the oven OFF. Set a timer for 30 to 40 minutes or longer; this will depend on the oven, so experiment. Once the bread has nicely puffed from the heat, remove it from the oven, then preheat it again for the full bake.
These rolls can be eaten at room temperature or warm, but for me, they really are far better hot. I want them to melt butter!
Bready or Not Original: Comte Pull-Apart Rolls
Equipment
- 9×9 pan
- parchment paper
- kitchen scale
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm milk (105-110 degrees F), can substitute half & half
- 1/2 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F)
- 1/2 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and divided
- 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 3/4 cup bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley or other dried herbs
- 4 ounces grated Comte cheese 100 grams
- flaked salt for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, place the warm liquids and yeast. Let stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is nice and foamy. Add the eggs, sugar, 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, and salt. Gradually beat in the flour, cheese, and parsley, until everything is well combined.
- Cover the bowl to let the dough rise for about an hour.
- Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper cut to crisscross and extend up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
- Lightly flour a surface. Turn out the dough onto it. Use the kitchen scale to weigh the dough. Divide it into 12 equal portions, forming each into a tidy ball. Place in rows within the prepared pan, each roll touching. Cover the pan to let rolls rise for another 40 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Brush rolls with remaining 2 Tablespoons butter and add a sprinkle of flaked salt, if desired.
- Bake rolls for 13 minutes. Check them. If they are getting quite brown, cover the pan with foil. Bake for another 13 to 15 minutes.
- Serve rolls at room temperature or warm.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Brookies
No need to deliberate whether to make chocolate chip cookies or brownies–this recipe for Brookies combines these goodies together in a delicious way.
This recipe excels at chocolate distribution. It’s not super-chocolaty, but every bite has some brownie and chocolate chips. If you add in cacao nibs, it’s even better; the nibs enhance the other chocolate flavors and adds a pleasant crunch at the same time.
On that note, this is a great recipe for people who don’t like nuts. There’s lots of flavor here without them. Could you add nuts? Sure. Is it necessary? Nope.
These bars are dense and nicely portable. Wrap them up individually, and they are great for a school lunch, road trip, or picnic. Plus, they freeze well, so you can even save some for later!
Modified from AllRecipes Magazine August/September 2020.
Bready or Not: Brookies
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
Cookie layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Brownie layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs optional
Instructions
Make cookie layer
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and creamy. Add egg, scraping bottom of bowl, then beat another two minutes.
- In another bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in chocolate chips. Dough will be very thick and sticky. Drop into pan in clumps and press into a level layer, covering the bottom completely.
Make brownie layer
- Using the same big bowl (leave it unwashed or wash it, baker’s preference), beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Follow with the egg. Stir in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the cacao nibs, if using.
- Pour over the cookie layer, spreading it into an even layer.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely–chilling in fridge, if desired–before slicing into bars.
- Brookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 days, and can also be frozen for layer enjoyment.
