Giveaway and Recipe: Rachel's Irish Family Food Cookbook

Cupcakes Take the Cake had the pleasure of meeting the lovely and talented Rachel Allen this week and getting her to sign (complete with cupcake doodle!) a copy of her amazing Irish Family Food: 120 Classic Recipes from My Home To Yours cookbook. There are lots of interesting authentic and modern Irish recipes to try, but the one I (Stacie) plan on making for St. Patrick's Day is the scrumptious-sounding and -looking "Irish Coffee Cups."

  

Irish Coffee Cups

9 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon coffee extract (essence) (ideally Camp or Irel brand)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2?3 cup heavy or whipping cream, softly whipped, to serve
 
For the sauce:
10 tablespoons superfine or granulated sugar
6 tablespoons water
2?3 cup heavy or whipping cream
4 tablespoons whiskey (preferably Irish)  

Warm coffee cakes served in teacups with a whiskey sauce and whipped cream, these make a smart and playful dessert, perfect for a dinner party, because both the cakes and sauce can be made ahead of time. The cakes are better if made on the same day, but the sauce can be made up to a couple of days ahead. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan and reheat the cakes in the oven (preheated to 250°F) for 10 minutes or just until warmed through. Serve with Irish coffee.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter the insides of four small ovenproof teacups or four 2½-inch diameter ramekins, if you intend to tip the cakes out of them for serving.
Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or with an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Whisk the eggs with the coffee extract in a small bowl for just a few seconds until mixed, then gradually add to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently to combine.
Divide the mixture among the teacups or ramekins and place these in a deep-sided ovenproof dish or roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the dish so it comes to halfway up the sides of the cups.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of each cake is springy to the touch.  

While the cakes are baking, make the sauce. Combine the superfine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar as the mixture heats up. Turn the heat up to high and continue to boil, but without stirring, until the syrup becomes a deep golden caramel color. Cook the sauce just to the point when it starts smoking. (If it’s not cooked enough you won’t get a strong enough caramel flavor, but if overcooked it will taste slightly bitter.) You may need to swirl the pan, rather than stirring the mixture, toward the end of caramelizing to ensure it cooks evenly.

Turn down the heat and immediately stir in the cream and whiskey, taking care as it may bubble and spit; then set aside. You may need to whisk it for a few seconds on a low heat to help the caramel dissolve into the cream and whiskey.

When the cakes are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Place on saucers or serving plates, or tip them out onto warm plates if you prefer. To serve, pour a tablespoon of the warm whiskey sauce over each, then top that with a spoonful of softly whipped cream.

Vegetarian
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes
Ready in 2 hours

Reprinted with permission of HarperCollins.
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Amazing, right? I am sure y'all want to make these too, and I would love to hear about your experiences experimenting with her recipe.  Want to win your own copy of this amazing cookbook? Please leave an email address in the comments section, below, telling us your favorite Irish treat. You have until Tuesday the 19th of March at 5:00 pm ET to enter. This giveaway is open to USA residents only.

Good luck!



;)