Irish cream frosting

[avocado]

I want to make an irish cream frosting. I'm really pretty flexible about what kind (cream cheese, buttercream, ganache, whatever). It's going on a dense chocolate cake.

Anyone have any recipes or at least a method where I could safely substitute Bailey's for another ingredient (say, heavy cream or vanilla)?

[JeanneCake]

I have great luck - and an excellent response - by adding Irish Cream to an Italian Meringue Buttercream. Add as much as you like to taste, but not too much otherwise the buttercream will be too soft. The amount will depend on your batch size - for about 2# of butter, I'd say not more than 3 oz of liquor....

[K8memphis]

This was such a great idea. I tried it. I made some white chocolate ganache with Baileys. I had about 16 oz of white chocolate and I used two of the mini Bailey's Irish Cream which are 100 ml each. I started it in the microwave but moved it to a double boiler so I'd have more control. Then after it cooled I beat it. Made a perfect filling but would have made a great icing too. Khaki color. Tastes wonderful. I filled a butter pecan cake with it.

Fyi that was just under a cup of Bailey's

Edited February 29, 2008 by K8memphis (log)

[avocado]

Aweome ideas, thanks!

I think the ganache is what I'll try...do you think it would work with bittersweet chocolate as well as white?

[K8memphis]

I mean for sure it will make ganache. As far as being Irish Creamy enough--let us know how it goes. I was just going for something different for that cake. I didn't have an agenda to make it taste a certain way other than to taste good.

But I totally recommend using the hot water method and stir gently. I put the choco and the cream in the bowl at the same time, then very gently heated it. I mean I am not a ganache guru though. Maybe that effects the shine factor in the finished product to do it that way but I was concerned that the Bailey's could get weird if I got it too hot. Hot enough to melt the chocolates by itself like how you usually make ganache.

(If I wasn't on a restricted diet I'd go make some. )

Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Edited to say--And I think you could use a bit less Bailey's for the darker chocolate. Unless I have that backwards and you use more. Chocolate gurus will know. Kerry? John DePaula? Tammylc? Smart Chocolate Person? More or less cream?

Edited March 1, 2008 by K8memphis (log)

[JeanneCake]

for ganache the general guideline is with dark chocolate, you can use equal amounts cream and chocolate; with white chocolate, you use half as much cream as chocolate.

[K8memphis]

for ganache the general guideline is with dark chocolate, you can use equal amounts cream and chocolate; with white chocolate, you use half as much cream as chocolate.

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So I had it backwards. You use more for darker chocolate less for white.

So that sounds like it would taste pretty good with the darker chocolate. mmm

Thank you JeanneCake, Smart Chocolate Person Supreme.

Edited March 1, 2008 by K8memphis (log)

[emilyr]

My b'day is St. Pat's day and so is my best friend's husband. She's ended up being very busy on her birthday this year a few days before ours, so we're all celebrating together. I want to really blow everyone's socks off with the cake this year, but I'm not a super experienced baker. Last year I did a Guinness cake which everyone loved, but I'm thinking of making it an "Irish Car Bomb Cake" (being a St. Pat's kid, I've been forced to drink at least one of these monstrosities when we go out that night, but I think the combination might be improved in cake form) this year - Guinness cake and Irish Creme spiked ganache filling and icing. What do you all think?

edited because i can't spell

Edited March 4, 2008 by emilyr (log)

[JeanneCake]

an "Irish Car Bomb Cake" (being a St. Pat's kid, I've been forced to drink at least one of these monstrosities when we go out that night

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What's in this drink?!

[AmritaBala]

I second the italian buttercream idea. I do that all the time and end up with fantastic results. Add about 2 tbsp to your buttercream at first and the increase it according to your taste.

[CanadianBakin']

Might not work with a dense chocolate cake but Baileys is awesome folded into whipped cream to fill a chocolate cake. My girlfriend says it tastes like Black Forest Cake without the cherries, which for her is a good thing as she doesn't like cherries. I could sit and eat a whole bowl of it. Where's that drooling icon when you need it?

[alligande]

an "Irish Car Bomb Cake" (being a St. Pat's kid, I've been forced to drink at least one of these monstrosities when we go out that night

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What's in this drink?!

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A pint glass of Guinness about 3/4 full then with a shot glass full of baileys is dropped in then you drink.

[emilyr]

an "Irish Car Bomb Cake" (being a St. Pat's kid, I've been forced to drink at least one of these monstrosities when we go out that night

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What's in this drink?!

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You drop a shot of Irish Creme - usually Bailey's - into a nearly full pint of Guinness and chug. They're quite disgusting, mostly just cause the idea of chugging a perfectly good Guinness (much less one contaminated wtih Bailey's) is just so wasteful to me!

[JeanneCake]

"Chugging" and "Guinness" in the same sentence is ..... not allowed in my house!