Baileys Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Months before the summer, I already imagined baking a summer cake. Light fluffy cake filled with all sorts of berries and whipped cream. I could already taste a slice of it. The classic strawberries and cream sounds great. Especially in the summer, where berries and cherries should be abundant. Unfortunately they are in the market, not in my fridge.

Although the taste of sweet strawberries and tangy blackberries can compensate the summer heat, I would have to improvise. Looking around the pantry and fridge (again) trying to find an inspiration.

Inside the liquor storage, there's half a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream from last year's Christmas that had been calling for me to make use of it. Moreover nobody in the house drinks, apart from me. In the fridge was found an almost-expired mascarpone cream waiting to be made into a tiramisu. Not anymore. And an untouched dark chocolate bar was discovered lying on the bottom of the cupboard. So instead of going somewhere fresh and light, I went to a more heavy, dense and dark alternative.

I've made Baileys Chocolate cake a few times before. Found a recipe from Jungle/Twisted Food Instagram (@twisted) and was inspired by it. Dense, chocolatey cake with a tiny hint of Irish cream. But not overly sweet. Although, you can always put more sugar base on your liking.

The mascarpone frosting was an experiment. Linda Lomelino's (@linda_lomelino) callmecupcake.se has tons of frosting recipes including a mascarpone one. But hers requires cream, which I didn't have. So, I just used what I had in my fridge, halfvolle melk (semi-skimmed milk, according to google).

It might look weird a first due to the uneven textures and consistency. Therefore you'd need patience. It worked! Tried to spread the frosting with a spoon to make it look nice for the photo but failed. Used a spatula instead, it's handier. Apply a marble-like ripple on top with leftover chocolate and.. Voila!! There you have it! Not summery or light but definitely worth the taste.

Baileys Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

This cake is planned to be fudgy and dense. That's why I paired with a light and fluffy frosting. However chocolate ganache works fine too, just heavier. Using Baileys chocolate deluxe will also resulted in a more chocolaty cake. If you are not a fan of alcohol in your cake, then you can substitute the Baileys with milk. Keep an eye on the doneness of the cake. It might take longer or shorter time depending on the size and depth of the cake tin.

Ingredients

Baileys Chocolate Cake

250 g all-purpose flour

100 g sugar

75 g cocoa powder

1.5 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp baking powder

pinch on salt

250 ml Baileys Irish cream Original/ chocolate deluxe

125 ml sunflower oil

2 eggs

dash of vanilla

250 hot water

Mascarpone Frosting

250 g Mascarpone cream

100 g powdered sugar

150 ml heavy cream/ whole milk

100 g chocolate

Instructions

Baileys Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.

2. Line a round cake tin (D 20 cm) or pyrex dish (sth cm x sth cm) with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease and flour (or cocoa powder) the tin.

3. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a large bowl.

4. Make a well in the centre and add in the Baileys, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix well and combined thoroughly.

5. Add in the hot water and mix well. The mixture will look liquidy and wet. That's how it should be.

6. Pour the batter to the prepared tin about a third full.

7. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Or until a skewer comes out clean.

8. Let it cool completely and chill in the fridge for a fudgy result.

Mascarpone Frosting

1. Melt the chocolate over simmering water or in the microwave with 30 seconds interval. And let cool.

2. Using a handmixer, mix the marscapone cream with heavy cream/milk and powdered sugar both a little at a time. It might look lumpy and uneven at first but keep on mixing.

3. Don't make it thin! Mix until the mixture is fluffy but still a little bit thick.

4. Add in the chocolate (save some for last) and mix until the frosting is light and chocolatey.

5. Spread the frosting evenly over the chilled cake and apply a ripple marble effect with the remaining chocolate.