Recipe: Baileys chocolate cake with coffee chocolate ganache

Baileys Irish Cream was one of the first alcoholic drinks I tasted. I remember sipping it surreptitiously from my parents’ drinks cabinet as a teen and wondering why on earth we were supposed to be grown-up to enjoy booze. It was so sweet it felt entirely harmless.

These days, I like to drink it on ice, and can usually only manage one, as my adult tastebuds seem slowly to be turning off sugar these days. In desserts and baking, however, it’s a good pal, here adding even more moistness to an already dense chocolate cake. Try the (outrageously rich) chocolate version in a Tiramisu.

Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. Grease and line a 20/21 cm cake tin.

Melt the chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa powder and Baileys together over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Stir until smooth and leave to cool.

Add the eggs to the mixture and then sift in the flour and baking powder. Fold to combine, and pour the batter into the prepared tin.

Bake for around 40 minutes, until the sides no longer wobble when you shake the tin, but the middle still appears slightly soft and molten. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for five minutes or so, then turn it out onto a wire rack. When it is completely cool, make the ganache.

Put the chocolate, butter and water into a bowl and melt gently over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Stir lightly until the glaze is glossy.

Let it cool and thicken for a few minutes before glazing the cake.