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How to make a show-stoppingly festive Bailey’s chocolate cake

Country Life

Wow your harshest judges with Star Baker Edd Kimber's decadent chocolate cake, perfect for a Christmas pud.

Serves 12

Let’s face it, only a third of your Christmas guests will enjoy your grandma’s infamous Christmas pudding. For a special treat (for the grown ups!), try this delicious Chocolate cake from Star Baker Edd Kimber. We recommend serving with 50ml Baileys Original Irish Cream on ice. Enjoy.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 110g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 280ml hot coffee
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 140ml buttermilk
  • 280g plain flour
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 340g light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs

For the Baileys eggnog buttercream

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 165g caster sugar
  • 75g light brown sugar
  • 360g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
  • 100ml Baileys Original Irish Cream – 1.8 units

For the white chocolate Baileys drips

  • 100g white chocolate
  • 50ml Baileys Original Irish Cream – 0.9 units

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For decoration

  • Edible gold lustre powder
  • 2x Baileys Reindeer
  • 50g dark chocolate
Star Baker Edd Kimber with his beautiful creation.

Star Baker Edd Kimber with his beautiful creation.

Method

For the Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan) and lightly grease 3x20cm round cake tins, lining the bases with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl and set aside to cool. In another bowl, whisk the coffee and cocoa powder, then add the buttermilk and whisk to combine. Set both aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy (approx 5 minutes). Beat in the eggs one by one. Once combined, pour in the cooled chocolate and mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add this in three additions to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk mixture so you start and finish with the flour mixture.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the tins and spread into an even layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in their tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Baileys eggnog buttercream

Combine the egg whites and sugars in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until the sugar has dissolved (you should no longer be able to feel the sugar grains when rubbing some mixture between your fingers).

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk with an electric mixer on high speed for 7-10 minutes, or until the meringue is stiff and glossy and at room temperature.

With the mixer still running, add the butter a little at a time until combined and the buttercream is smooth.

Add the ground nutmeg and Baileys Original Irish Cream, then mix gently until combined.

Bailey's chocolate cake

To assemble

Place one cake layer onto a serving plate and spread with a thin layer of buttercream. Repeat with the rest of the layers, smoothing most of the remaining buttercream over the top and side of the cake once the final layer is stacked.

Place the iced cake in the fridge for 20 minutes until the buttercream is cold and firm.

To make the white chocolate Baileys drips, heat the white chocolate and Baileys Original Irish Cream together until the chocolate has melted. Stir the resulting ganache until smooth and silky.

Once the iced cake is firm, pour the ganache on top, spreading evenly out to the edges and teasing it over the sides to encourage it to drip. Return the cake to the fridge to set the ganache.

Mix two teaspoons of gold powder with two teaspoons of a clear vodka to make a paint-like consistency. Carefully paint the white chocolate with the gold mixture.

Melt the dark chocolate and pour into a piping bag. Line a baking tray with parchment and use the piping bag to draw simple tree shapes. Put these into the fridge to set fully.

Chop the antlers off two Baileys Reindeers. Fill with 50ml of Baileys and top with the remaining buttercream. Arrange on top of the cake. If you don’t have Baileys Reindeers, decorate however you want! Any Christmas chocolate will do.

Using the rest of the buttercream, pipe a few peaks around the reindeer. Remove the set chocolate trees from the fridge and carefully remove from the parchment, nestling them around the reindeer into the buttercream peaks.

Slice and enjoy!

Top Tip

If you don’t have a piping bag to pipe the dark chocolate trees, simply create your own at home by using baking paper and rolling the sheet to create the perfect nozzle. It’s an easy but effective way to create the delicious decorations.