Living in the Colorado high country is pure joy. Baking in it isn’t. High altitude makes cookies spread in the pan, cakes fall, and few baked goods turn out as they do at sea level. This twice-monthly column presents recipes and tips to make baking in the mountains successful.
How about a dawn-to-dusk celebration for St. Patrick’s Day this year? If you like the idea, this cake can make it happen. Not too sweet, with a crumbly, tender texture (think Irish soda bread), it’s perfect slathered with some soft butter and a cup of coffee when the sun’s up. Topped with an Irish whiskey sauce at the end of the day, it becomes a fine dessert. I’m told the cake is most authentically Irish when made with dried currants and golden raisins. But I like the contrast provided by a wider variety of dried fruits. It’s good either way; the choice is yours.
Irish Whiskey All-Day Cake
Adjusted for altitudes of 7,500 feet and above. Make in a 6-cup non-stick Bundt pan
Cake
- 2 ½ (two and one-half) cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon and level) plus 1 (one) tablespoon of flour for the dried fruit
- ½ (one half) plus 1/8 (one eighth) teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 (one-eighth) teaspoon baking soda
- ½ (one-half) teaspoon salt
- 8 (eight) tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick), softened
- ¾ (three-fourths) cup granulated sugar, preferably superfine
- 1 (one) large egg, room temperature
- ¾ (three-fourths) cup buttermilk
- 1 (one) cup mixture of soft, fresh golden raisins, currants, and/or other dried fruit
Irish whiskey glaze, optional
- ¼ (one-fourth) cup water
- 1 ½ (one and one-half) tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-2 (one to two) tablespoons Irish Whiskey
Optional Irish whiskey sauce
- (serves 4-6; can be doubled)
- 4 (four) tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ (one half) cup granulated sugar
- 3(three) tablespoons Irish Whiskey
- 1/8 (one eighth) teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 1 (one) large egg (you’ll use only half), beaten
Get ready Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center position. Generously grease the Bundt pan, even if it’s non-stick. Combine 2.5 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk vigorously to mix. Set this aside.
Make the batter: Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light in color and soft. Add the egg, beat again, scraping bowl as needed, until fully incorporated. Stop the mixer, add half of the flour mixture, and, on low speed, stir until mixed. In a steady stream, drizzle in the buttermilk and stir on low speed until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture and, on low speed, blend until totally absorbed. The batter will be quite stiff. Toss the dried fruit with the remaining tablespoon of flour and fold them into the batter.
Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, then level and smooth it. Bake until the cake is golden on top, with a few cracks, and a toothpick inserted all the way to the bottom of the batter comes out clean (do this test; you can’t tell if it’s done without it), 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Glaze (if using), cool, serve: While it rests, make the glaze. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the whiskey (1-2 tablespoons, to taste), and let cool slightly. Invert the cake, remove it from the pan, and brush generously with the glaze (you may not use it all). Let the cake cool. Slice and serve or rewarm slices and serve.
Make the Irish Whiskey Sauce, if using: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar, whiskey, nutmeg, and salt and continue stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat. Slowly pour half of the beaten egg (about two tablespoons) into the butter mixture, whisking rapidly the entire time. Save the unused egg for another purpose. Return the pan to the heat and increase it to medium-low. Gently stir, bring the mixture to a simmer or very slow boil. Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve or set aside to cool and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat the sauce over low heat. If it separates, take it off the heat and whisk in a small amount of warm water. Serve warm, over warmed cake.