Bailey's Cake??

Hey all you connoisseurs of good cakes

I'd like to run something past you...

I am thinking of making a birthday cake tonight for a good friend and would like opinions. I have 2 ideas. I'll give it to them tomorrow evening.

1. A coffee chocolate swirl with Bailey's Cream cheese icing

2. A Bailey's chocolate swirl with a coffee cream cheese icing.

I am thinking of  a swirl cake (best I can describe as it won't be a heavy chocolate cake). But I would like the Bailey's and coffee flavours. Cream cheese is optional.

Idea 1

Is it better to use a cup of real coffee instead of water or use instant and blend it with the flour?

Could I mix Bailey's, cream cheese and icing sugar? Other suggestions?

Idea 2

Could I substitute some Bailey's for some of the water? How much?

Would coffee cream cheese work?



What do you think? Ever tried this? Had this?

Thanks

So, I am definitely not a cake making connoisseur, but I am definitely someone who likes to eat cake 

Option 1 sounds really nice to me! Instant coffee would actually be a good bet, because you can concetrate it (i.e. add lots of granules to a little bit of water) and you then don't make the batter to liquidy. 

Baileys, cream cheese, icing sugar, maybe some vanilla?

Idea 2, I think you could use Bailey's instead of water, but I wonder how much of it will get lost in the batter. 

Yum! I want a piece!   

I use instant coffee granules to make coffee walnut cake, and it's perfect. As phatbeetle says, make it really strong.

As for the icing, I might skip the cream cheese if it were me - I think it might be too rich along with Baileys. But your taste might differ. This page has a recipe for a Baileys buttercream icing which looks good (scroll down to 'Baileys-Frosted Cupcakes').

Idea 1
Is it better to use a cup of real coffee instead of water or use instant and blend it with the flour?

I would probably brew some really strong coffee and substitute that for any water that the recipe calls for.  If you go the instant route, make sure you dissolve it in some water first and add that with your "wet" ingredients.  Just dumping the instant granules in with the dry ingredients does not work at all.  I did this once years ago and ended up with a disgusting mess because the little granules did not dissolve and mix in with the rest of the batter.  It was really ick....  

Thanks all. If it weren't a birthday cake, I'd say come on down (or up actually). 

Thanks for the link Chary. Think maybe I will give the cream cheese a miss and do the Bailey's butter cream.

Chary how did you mix the coffee into the mix? Dry or did you slurry it like MrsRichUK suggested?

Chary how did you mix the coffee into the mix? Dry or did you slurry it like MrsRichUK suggested?

Yes, do a slurry.  Just make a super strong cup or so (I usually add a spoonful or two more than if I were making a cup to drink), and mix it in.  I do a black Russian cake, and I've found that's the best way to get the coffee flavor into the mix.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, Chary!

just a couple of my suggestions.......

if you want to use coffee in your recipe make your own coffee extract......so simple to do......get a bag of the strongest ground coffee you can find........boil around 4 cups of water......add coffee.......let it simmer until you have about 1-1.5 cups of liquid left......let cool very well.......strain through cheese clothe about 3 times.......you can put what you dont use in the frig for future use.........be sure to only add a small amount to your icing or cake.......taste alot to be sure its really good.....lol

also i use liquors in almost all my cakes........i simply just poke holes in both layers after they have cooled.......pour some baileys right on top to soak into your cake.......yummy yummy.......but please note this isnt a cake for little ones.

hmmmmm youve made me hungry.....lol

steff

Thanks all. If it weren't a birthday cake, I'd say come on down (or up actually). 

Hazard to guess you're down from me 

Yes, do a slurry.  Just make a super strong cup or so (I usually add a spoonful or two more than if I were making a cup to drink), and mix it in.  I do a black Russian cake, and I've found that's the best way to get the coffee flavor into the mix.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, Chary!

That's exactly how I do it. 

OK slurry it is. Thanks everybody. So the plan is a chocolate coffee Bailey's cake with a Bailey's butter cream icing and got some Bailey's chocs to put on top. I do know they like Bailey's. Couldn't find any Hagin Daz Bailey's ice cream though.

also i use liquors in almost all my cakes........i simply just poke holes in both layers after they have cooled.......pour some baileys right on top to soak into your cake.......yummy yummy.......

Now that sounds like an idea !! 

Hazard to guess you're down from me 

Thought you was down Glasgow way? If so, then I'm up. 

http://www.toomanychefs.com/archives/001377.php

Maybe that would help? I posted a reply on here earlier, but it didn't go through. Anyway, whatever you do, I bet it will be delicious! 

http://www.toomanychefs.com/archives/001377.php

Maybe that would help? I posted a reply on here earlier, but it didn't go through. Anyway, whatever you do, I bet it will be delicious! 

Thanks. Lots of ideas but yea I think it'll taste good.

Thought you was down Glasgow way? If so, then I'm up.  

No sir. Inverness.  
You still could be up, if you live in Wick, Orkney or Shetland  

No sir. Inverness.  
You still could be up, if you live in Wick, Orkney or Shetland  

Dunno why I thought you was in Glasgow. Oh well doon it is then.     I did live in Castletown (Caithness) for several years. I put brackets cuz my mail used to always end up going to a Castletown down in Cornwall or some where way way down there.

Success! Again, thanks for everyone tips and advice. It worked.

I did the coffee slurry bit. Then drizzled a fair bit of Bailey's directly on the bottom half of the cake. Middle layer was a double cream with Baileys & icing sugar and the top was butter cream frosting with Bailey's. Topped with a Bailey's chocolate for each slice.

It went down a treat. Everyone LOVED it. Even my 6 yo boy who said he wanted this for his birthday cake. I won't say it was light but it was not as heavy as I thought it would have been and the Bailey's taste was just right for a Bailey's cake.

If anyone tries something like this, the recipes from the links provided used 3 tbsp of Bailey's in the cream filling and used the cream in turn to flavour the frosting. Don't bother. This, IMO, would yield a very weak and unsatisfactory taste.

Go for at least 6 tbsp in the cream and 8-10 tbsp in the frosting (basically don't use any milk just Bailey's    ). It gave a really strong taste but was not biting. As everyone said the frosting was the best they'd ever had.