Introducing My New YOLO Series and Ep.1: Chocolate Irish Cream Cake

Despite what I said about my mission to direct my blog in more academic directions for this semester, there are sometimes those days when I need an excuse to let loose and bake whatever the heck I want, no matter how much time I don't have to spare or the amount of butter that goes into the recipe. After all, that's what ~procrastibaking~ was originally about right? Can't stray too far from my roots. 

SO...what I have decided to do is, in addition to my weekly academic posts, I will be starting a new blogging series simply titled "YOLO Baking Challenge" for now, in which I get to do something that's not very much not part of my normal baking repertoire, something so indulgent/fancy/overly-ambitious that I can only try it once for both practical and financial reasons. They will not be weekly posts. but I guess at minimum, they will probably be once or twice a month, depending on how busy I am with exams/papers/lab (although that hasn't really deterred me in the past hehehe).

Now...onto some real business. I decided to bake this Magical Chocolate Irish Cream Cake for a number of reasons:

1. My brain severely needed it after a grueling few days of exams.

2. I needed to find some use for this fancy Irish Liqueur that a friend bought for me. 

3. Um, because this is an amazing cake. Needs no further explanation.

4. It's too cold to go outside and do anything else fun. Oh how I wish it was summer.

And because Frozen just won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film this weekend, making it the first Disney film to ever win period, and also because I simply couldn't resist, here is my favorite character Olaf in THE BEST scene of the entire movie:

So now that I've seriously digressed and had my Frozen spiel, the short story behind this cake is that about a week ago, my dear friend Colleen celebrated her 21st birthday, and to commemorate her very special day, her roommate Angela baked for her this delicious cake using Bailey's Irish Cream. Unfortunately, since my friend was unable to get me actual Bailey's, I had to make do with my alternate brand. I don't know how huge of a difference it will make, seeing as the Irish Cream flavor in the cake itself is actually pretty mild. You get a better flavor out of the frosting, which in this case, the cake really needs because the cake itself isn't that sweet. I'll be honest and say I like frosting ONLY when it is used to the bare minimum (like just the thinnest layer) but feel free to add however much you like. FYI, the amount of butter needed just make a tiny amount of this yummy Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a little horrendous. But as I said in the beginning, the point of this YOLO Baking Challenge is not to make ordinary (and therefore boring) desserts but to try something exciting, a little indulgent, a little sinful and fun, which requires some measure of that "IDGAF" attitude I know all bakers have in their hearts somewhere. 

Here is the recipe in its full glory + my always important add-on notes, adapted from Food.com.

Chocolate Irish Cream Cake
INGREDIENTS
Cake
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 egg
2/3 cup oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup bailey irish cream
1 cup strong black coffee
Swiss Meringue Frosting - I think this recipe can be easily doubled to make more...
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2-4 Tbsp Irish Cream Liquor (to taste) - could be optional, but I don't see why you would want to ;)

Directions
For the Cake:
1. Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Beat egg, oil, buttermilk, liqueur, coffee together.
3. Add to the dry ingredients; beat together for about 3 minutes.
4. Pour into greased/floured 10" springform pan or 9x13 pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes for the springform or 25 to 30 minutes for the 9x13- or until done. Allow to cool.
6. Turn cake out onto a plate and frost. Make sure it is cool enough or else the frosting will melt!
For the Frosting:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a heat proof bowl, add the sugar and egg whites together. Whisk constantly over a saucepan of simmering water. Keep whisking the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
2. Remove from heat and place the bowl back to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium high until it cools. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. If you're like me and just have a hand mixer, just remove from heat and carefully add in butter, beating as you go. Make sure butter is room temperature (it's extremely important!)
3. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream until thick and very smooth, about 6-10 minutes. If the buttercream just looks wrong, don't worry, just keep beating, just keep beating. If it doesn't work like it didn't for me, here's a neat trick to try. Take around 1/4 cup of frosting and microwave it for 10-20 seconds until it is melted. With your handmixer on low, slowly stream in the melted frosting. Then turn up your handmixer to high again and beat until it's fluffly again. I didn't believe it was going to work but it did! Yay!
4. Add Irish Cream Liquor to taste

Good right? Simple, absolutely divine, chocolate cake in its purest, most beautiful form. I think I could be in love. 

SOOOOOOO YUMMY!!! :D

Here's to many more YOLO Baking Challenges in the future! Yeaaah! :)