This Irish Whisky Cake is a simple, impressive cake that is brushed with a whisky soaking glaze, and then topped with a whisky frosting. Serve on it's own or with a dollop of whipped cream!
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🥃A Boozy Bundt Cake
This Irish Whisky Cake is full of whisky flavour! The cake has whisky in the batter, there's whisky in the soaking glaze, and also in the frosting!
I made this Bundt cake using this recipe, then added whisky too it, and reduced the amount of milk. I added pecans to it (walnuts would work great too), and topped with a frosting.
This Whisky cake is perfect for St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, or any time you'd like a boozy slice of cake!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Milk - I use full milk when I bake. 2% milk is fine, but I don't advice to go with a lower fat milk than that.
- Whisky - I used Jameson whisky. Use whichever one you like.
- Pecans - Save time chopping and purchase pecan pieces instead of whole pecans.
- Unsalted butter - Can be substituted with salted butter. Omit the extra salt in the recipe.
🔪Instructions
Whisky Cake
To make the cake, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl until well combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, scarping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add sour cream, Irish whisky, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
Add in the dry ingredients, and mix until almost combined. Add in pecans, and mix until no dry flour remains. Fill a well greased Bundt pan with batter and smooth the top.
Bake for 60-70 minutes at 325°F (160°C), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs.
Remove cake from oven to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool to room temperature. You may need to trim a bit off the bottom of the cake, so it sits flat.
Whisky Glaze
In a small bowl, mix water and Irish whisky together. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze on the top and sides of the cake. Let cake sit for about 15 minutes for the glaze to soak into the cake.
Whisky Frosting
Mix powdered sugar and Irish whisky together. Add 1 tablespoon of whisky at a time until you have a thick, but pourable frosting. If you make it too loose, add more powdered sugar.
Pour frosting on top of the cake, letting it pour down the sides a bit. Let the frosting set before slicing the cake, about 1 hour.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
✔️Expert Tips
- Instead of pecans, use walnuts!
- Make sure to not overmix the batter. Mix until everything is just combined.
- If the frosting is too loose, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more whisky.
- Don't like the taste of whisky? I find the taste is more strong in the frosting. Instead of using whisky with the powdered sugar, use milk instead.
💭FAQs
While this cake has whisky in the cake, glaze, and frosting, you would have to eat a lot of cake to get drunk.
You can make the cake a day before, brush on the whisky glaze, and store at room temperature. Then frost the next day.
You can freeze the baked cake, before being glazed and frosted. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
🔖Related Recipes
📋 Recipe
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Irish Whisky Cake
Equipment
- 1 Bundt pan
Ingredients
Whisky Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup Irish whisky
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup pecans
Whisky Glaze
- 1 tablespoon Irish whisky
- 1 tablespoon water
Whisky frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons Irish whisky
Instructions
Whisky Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease your Bundt pan really well. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl until well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs, scarping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add sour cream, Irish whisky, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients, and mix until almost combined. Add in pecans, and mix until no dry flour remains.
- Fill prepared Bundt pan with batter and smooth the top. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove cake from oven to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool to room temperature. You may need to trim a bit off the bottom of the cake, so it sits flat.
Whisky Glaze
- In a small bowl, mix water and Irish whisky together. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze on the top and sides of the cake. Let cake sit for about 15 minutes for the glaze to soak into the cake.
Whisky Frosting
- Mix powdered sugar and Irish whisky together. Add 1 tablespoon of whisky at a time until you have a thick, but pourable frosting. If you make it too loose, add more powdered sugar.
- Pour frosting on top of the cake, letting it pour down the sides a bit. Let the frosting set before slicing the cake, about 1 hour.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Instead of pecans, use walnuts!
- Make sure to not overmix the batter. Mix until everything is just combined.
- If the frosting is too loose, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more whisky.
- Don't like the taste of whisky? I find the taste is more strong in the frosting. Instead of using whisky with the powdered sugar, use milk instead.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️