Irish Cream Coffee Cake
This playful twist on a classic crumb cake adds a generous pour of Irish cream liqueur to the batter. While it’s often served with coffee, Irish cream is not coffee-flavored, but made with whiskey and cream, along with hints of chocolate and vanilla. It lends a rich vanilla flavor to this simple cake, and its boozy edge cuts the sweetness. Use an Irish cream liqueur that tastes good on its own, because its flavors will shine through. A simple crumb mixture, flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans, forms both the streusel topping and a spiced ribbon running through the cake. The cake isn’t complete without the Irish cream glaze. Cut this coffee cake into big squares and serve with coffee; extra Irish cream is optional.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 12 persons
Ingredients
- ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- ½cup/120 grams sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 ½teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ½cup/120 milliliters Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys), at room temperature
- 1 ½cups/195 grams all-purpose flour
- 1packed cup/220 grams light brown sugar
- ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1cup/100 grams pecans or walnuts, chopped
- 1 ½teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
- ½cup/62 grams confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter, then line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Dust the exposed sides with flour.Step 2
Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well with your hands until the mixture forms crumbles, then set aside.Step 3
Make the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and granulated sugar. Mix on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.Step 4
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, the Irish cream liqueur, then the rest of the flour mixture. Use a spatula to make sure the batter is well mixed.Step 5
Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Scatter about a third of the crumble evenly over the cake, forming a thin, even layer. Spoon the rest of the cake batter over the crumble in big spoonfuls. Gently spread with a spatula to cover, then top with the remaining crumble mixture.Step 6
Bake until the crumble is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove it using the parchment paper overhang.Step 7
Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the Irish cream liqueur and confectioners’ sugar and whisk until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle it over the cake and set aside until hardened, about 15 minutes, before cutting into squares and serving. The cake will keep, well-wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days.