Irish Chocolate Cake

LAURIE's Note:

Oh my goodness!!! If you are a dark chocolate lover (like me) then this is the cake for you....note the "secret" ingredient!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 cake

• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces dark chocolate
• 4 ounces butter
• 3/4 cup fine sugar
• 3 ounces cooked mashed potatoes (Yes, really. Trust me.)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 tablespoons milk

Icing

• 4 ounces dark chocolate
• 4 fluid ounces heavy cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (or a little more)
• 3 tablespoons irish cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Grease and line 8-inch cake tins.
3. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water.
4. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and mashed potato.
5. Gradually beat in the egg, adding a little flour with each addition.
6. Fold in the rest of the flour and stir in the milk.
7. Divide mixture between cake tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch.
8. Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooling rack.
9. While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Melt the chocolate as before, stir in the other ingredients and mix well.
10. Use the icing to sandwich the cake layers together and coat the top and sides of the cake.
11. HINT: What makes this rich chocolate cake "Irish" is not only to the creamy liqueur used in the filling, but also a particularly "Irish" ingredient in the cake mixture itself, which makes it extremely moist. Have you guessed it yet? Yes, it's the potato! Mystery solved! Bet you were wondering what potatoes were doing in a cake recipe! Even Irish dessert recipes make use of this abundant Irish crop!

Reviews

[Chef #582502]

This cake is tasty but the icing was too thin. It should be called a glaze. I'm game to try anything tagged "Irish" or "English". Thanks

[hedi777]

Really good!! I used only cream, sugar and chocolate in icing micture, but it still it was so mouthwatering, yummy! And I found that using 12 inch cake tin, it is better to double the patch, then the cake will be just bigger, but still quite the same thick.

[Rita~]

I softened the chocolate in the micro. Used the food processor to make my sugar fine. The recipe produces cakes that are small and icing thats thin. I did have to add more powdered sugar. I used dark and simi sweet chocolate because I ran out of dark. Was still good!