This whiskey cake is one of many New York Times recipes that we love. A simple no-frosting cake, this recipe combines chocolate, strong coffee, and Irish whiskey. Undertones of black pepper and clove support this chocolate cake, almost like a warm kiss with each bite.
Whiskey Cake
I’m a huge dessert fan but I especially love cake recipes. Those who know me best are aware that I overdosed on chocolate at the tender age of five. True story. This incident involved a trip to the emergency room and it sealed my love of chocolate. Forever.
You can make this chocolate whiskey cake in under an hour and a half. The rich combination of flavors will leave everyone thinking that it took you all day to make it, only we know better. It will be our little secret.
What’s in this Whiskey Cake
Unsweetened cocoa powder and semi-sweet mini chocolate chips make up the backbone of this rustic cake recipe. The ingredients that bring it to life include:
- Coffee
- Irish whiskey
- Black pepper
- Ground cloves
This recipe starts with chocoalte, right from the beginning. It’s what you will use to dust your cake pan.
One of the fun things about this chocolate whiskey cake is that it uses mini-chocolate chips!. You wouldn’t normally think of chocolate chips (especially mini ones) to be something that mixes well with whiskey.
Oh contraire, mon frere! The two get along quite well.
Speaking of things that go along well with chocolate, can we talk about coffee? The two are a match made in heaven. Put it together in a cake and once again, it’ a whole new ball game.
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When I first saw this whiskey cake recipe, I knew it wasn’t if I would recreate this dessert but rather when. Let’s just say I didn’t wait very long. Maybe a few hours.
Don’t wait as long as I did to make this whiskey cake. Life’s too short! Grab the ingredients and turn that oven on!
More cake recipes
(we have nearly 40 of them on Platter Talk!)
- Lemon Soda Pound Cake
- Bright and flavorful homemade lemon cake recipe.
- Slow Cooker Sticky Caramel Pumpkin Cake
- Crockpot cake recipe using canned pumpkin that’s ready to eat in two hours.
- Coconut Carrot Cake
- Luxurious carrot cake made with toasted coconut flakes.
- Keto Chocolate Cake
- Keto dessert made from scratch.
- RumChata Cupcakes
- Sky-High Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
- Coconut Carrot Cake
- Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Butter Cream
- See all of our Cake Recipes!
FAQ
Can this Whiskey Cake be frozen?
This chocolate cake keeps well in the freezer for up to a couple of months. Allow it to completely cool, then double-wrap in plastic kitchen wrap before freezing. When ready to eat, allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, still wrapped.
Can I make this as Gluten-Free Cake?
For a gluten-free cake, use an equal amount of gluten-free flour as a substitute for the all-purpose flour in the recipe.
Pro baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients. Measuring cups and measuring spoons can vary in size. A kitchen scale is an affordable investment to give you better results!
- To keep your cakes and other baked goods from sticking, see our post and video on How to Grease a Cake Pan.
Have you tried this whiskey cake recipe? Please let us know how you liked it by leaving a comment below. Also, FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see what we have cooking!
Whiskey Cake
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1-inch pieces, more for pan
- 85 grams unsweetened cocoa powder about ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 ½ cups brewed strong coffee
- ½ cup Irish whiskey
- 200 grams granulated sugar about 1 cup
- 156 grams light brown sugar about 1 cup
- 240 grams all-purpose flour about 2 cups
- 8 grams baking soda about 1 ½ teaspoons
- 3 grams fine sea salt about ¾ teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Dust with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm coffee, Irish whiskey, 12 tablespoons butter and remaining cocoa powder, whisking occasionally, until butter is melted. Whisk in sugars until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Slowly whisk egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Add dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, then remove sides of pan. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
