Let me just put this out there. I love Bailey’s Irish Cream.
No, this isn’t sponsored.
And, honestly, I usually forget just how much I love it.
Then, St. Paddy’s Day rolls around and … boom, it hits me like a ton of perfectly-marketed bricks (thanks, liquors storeees!).
All kidding aside — it’s coffee-flavored, it’s creamy and it has a boozy kick. What’s not to love? It’s the grown-up version of the coffee milk I drank as a kid (yes, coffee milk… if you’re from New England … you know what I’m talking about!… maybe?). And, you know, a splash in your coffee is divine …. on weekends…..of course….
So okay, after I was seduced by the display (and sale pricing) at the liquor store, I started thinking about what I’d want to make to celebrate my roots (well, half of them) on March 17. So after a bit of searching, I stumbled on this recipe from Gourmet Kitchen Tales and her gorgeous photos.
A simple, rich cake with a mousse-like texture (gold-splatter-optional). Count. me. IN! Pair this beauty with an ice-cold glass of Bailey’s (yeeeahhh), some vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream!
Nothing about this dessert is difficult, BUT you do need to follow the steps in order to incorporate a lot of air into the cake! If for some reason you don’t successfully incorporate the egg whites and it seems to be a bit flat… I’d say still go for it. I’m sure it’ll still be delicious — just a bit slimmer!
If you don’t have an official double boiler, a sauce pan and a heat safe bowl (glass or metal is probably best) are equally as effective! Just make sure your water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl!
Flourless Dark Chocolate & Bailey's Torte
A simple, super-rich cake with a mousse-like texture.
Ingredients
- For torte:
- 200g dark chocolate (I used 70% dark chocolate)
- 80g butter
- 100g sugar
- 2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
- 4 eggs, separated
- pinch of salt For ganache:
- 3 oz dark chocolate (I used a combo of Ghirardelli 70% dark chocolate and Divine’s Dark Chocolate with Pink Himalayan Salt)
- 2.5 oz heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp butter
Directions
- For torte:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and dust the tin with cocoa powder.
- Using a double-boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together.
- Once melted, move chocolate to a larger bowl and add Bailey’s. Stir until incorporated.
- Once the mixture has cooled further, whisk in sugar and then egg yolks.
- In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, beat egg whites to stiff peaks with the pinch of salt.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Once you’ve incorporated the whites (be sure to incorporate all the white you see, it will remain streaky if not full incorporated), pour the batter into the tin.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the torte comes out clean.
- Let cool before removing. For ganache:
- Chop dark chocolate and place in bowl or other heat safe container that you can easily pour from).
- Bring cream and butter to a simmer on the stove.
- Pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until all of the chocolate has melted.
- Wait for ganache to cool slightly before pouring over the cake. If it’s too hot, it will just run off the cake!
If you want to add some gold (or any color splatter to your cake), you just need to get your hands on a some edible luster dust (I used Wilton-brand), a little bit of vodka and a food-use-only brush! Create a little slurry with the tiniest bit of vodka and luster dust, and splatter away. Beware, your kitchen might end up a little sparklier. haha 🙂
jil cooks 