Berries and Irish Cream Coffee Cake

Packed with berries and topped with an Irish cream glaze, this festive cake comes with a little kick of Irish liqueur. Brian Hart Hoffman, founder and editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch magazine, says his addition of Irish cream liqueur is what gives this dessert an extra-fluffy crumb and rich flavor. For this recipe, Brian used Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur.

Ingredients:

For the spiced streusel:

  • 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (55 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/3 cups (167 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp. (1.5 g) ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. (2.5 g) baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger


For the cake:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (55 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs (100 g), at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk (19 g), at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp. (3 g) vanilla bean paste
  • 1 2/3 cups (208 g) plus 1 tsp. (3 g) all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2 1/4 tsp. (11.25 g) baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp. (2.25 g) kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup (180 g) sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) Irish cream liqueur
  • 1/3 cup (52 g) plus 2 Tbs. (21 g) fresh blueberries, divided
  • 1/2 cup (84 g) quartered fresh strawberries, divided
  • 1/2 cup (90 g) halved fresh blackberries, divided


For the Irish cream glaze:

  • 3/4 cup (90 g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 1/2 Tbs. (37.5 g) Irish cream liqueur
  • 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

To make the spiced streusel, in a medium bowl, stir together the sugars and salt until well combined. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and ginger. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring until well combined. Set aside.

To make the cake, preheat an oven to 325°F (170°C). Spray a light-colored 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with baking spray with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla bean paste.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 2/3 cups (208 g) flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and liqueur. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.

In another medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup (52 g) blueberries, 1/4 cup (42 g) strawberries and 1/4 cup (45 g) blackberries. Add the remaining 1 tsp. (3 g) flour, tossing until well combined. Fold the berry mixture into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing into an even layer with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle the spiced streusel onto the batter; top with the remaining 2 Tbs. (20 g) blueberries, remaining 1/4 cup (42 g) strawberries and remaining 1/4 cup (45 g) blackberries.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking and loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan; let cool completely on the base of the pan on a wire rack.

To make the Irish cream glaze, in a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients until smooth and well combined. Drizzle the glaze over the cake before serving. Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) cake.


Recipe courtesy of Brian Hart Hoffman, founder and editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch