Recipe and Styling by Libbie Summers
Photography by Chia Chong
We interrupt this week of rhubarb to bring you a dose of decadence and high fives to the hostess city, SAVANNAH!! When the folks who make BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers threw down the gauntlet for us to do a recipe using their product to go up against 5 other cities in deciding who has America’s favorite St. Patrick’s Day city we were all in. Because nobody puts BAILEYS® in a corner and NOBODY does St. Patrick’s Day better than Savannah! All you big cities step aside –Savannah and this Good and Evil Chocolate Layer Cake are coming through.
Good and Evil Chocolate Layer Cake
(Irish Cream Frosting, Southern Praline Topping)
Serves 12-16
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers Original Irish Cream flavor
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, can substitute 2 teaspoons extract
1 cup boiling water
Irish Cream Frosting (recipe to follow)
Southern Pralines, chopped (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare five 9-inch cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and spraying with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the coffee creamer, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla paste and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Reduce speed and add the boiling water. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute.
Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake until the centers just bounce back (about 16-20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and frosting with the Irish Cream Frosting. Garnish with chopped pralines if desired.
Irish Cream Frosting
(yields about 5 cups, you won’t need all of it if you don’t frost the sides)
Ingredients:
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, at room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla paste
2/3 cup BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers Original Irish Cream flavor
Directions: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add 6 cups of the confectioners’ sugar. Increase the speed to medium and add the salt, vanilla paste, and the coffee creamer. Beat for 2 minutes. If the frosting is too thin at this point, add more of the confectioners’ sugar, 1⁄2 cup at a time, and beat for 1 minute, until fully incorporated. If the frosting is too thick, add more of the coffee creamer, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat for 30 seconds or until just combined. Refrigerate the frosting for 20 minutes before using. Frosting can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
VOTE NOW for SAVANNAH!!!! Hands down America’s Favorite St. Patrick’s Day City and the luck of the Irish will surely be with you.
Note: Salted and Styled is a paid endorser for this contest…but we probably would have done it for nothing because we love Savannah.
