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Boozy Desserts To Get You Merry This Weekend

Combining the best of both worlds.
100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine (Murdoch Books)

Just in case having a celebratory drink for the weekend wasn't enough, these boozy desserts come along to tempt your taste buds (sorry about that).

If your experience of alcoholic desserts comprises of mistaking grandma's heavily spiked rum balls as truffles at Christmas when you were little, don't worry -- infusing your desserts properly adds a welcome edge and an intense yet smooth flavour, transforming your favourite desserts and alcoholic drinks into a merry treat.

These boozy recipes from 100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine take classic desserts like chocolate cake and lemon cake and swirl in your favourite drinks -- from rich, malty Guinness to sweet, fresh Cognac. Cheers, big ears!

Intense Guinness chocolate cake with chocolate icing and fine sea salt

This classic chocolate cake incorporates the full-bodied and dense stout that is Guinness, adding a complex, spicy coffee and toffee flavour. The chocolate note from this Irish stout works perfectly with the rich chocolate cake. Amazing.

"Here I offer a variation on the traditional cream cheese icing and its tartness with a recipe that is reminiscent of the head on a glass of Guinness: an all-chocolate cake with an intense flavour that is further accentuated by a few crystals of fine sea salt," Trish Deseine said.

Serves 8–10.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 125g lightly salted butter
  • 250ml Guiness
  • 75g (⅔ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g crème fraîche
  • 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
  • 275g plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 350g caster sugar

For the icing:

  • 175g good quality dark chocolate
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt

METHOD

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4). Place the butters and beer in a saucepan over a low heat. Sift over the cocoa and gently stir. Once the butter has melted, let the mixture cool for 5–10 minutes.

2. Beat the eggs, crème fraîche and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Add the flour and baking powder, sifting them first, then the sugar. Finally, incorporate this mixture into the butter, Guinness and cocoa mixture.

3. Butter and flour a tall 24 cm round cake tin and pour in the batter. Bake for 60–75 minutes. When the cake comes out of the oven, wait for 15 minutes before turning it out. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and let it rest overnight.

4. The next day, make the icing. Place all the ingredients in a bowl with 60ml (¼ cup) of water and melt them gently in a microwave or saucepan. Stir well until you have a smooth and glossy sauce, then let it cool and thicken slightly.

5. Place the cake on a rack and pour the chocolate icing on top. Use a flexible spatula to spread the icing all over the cake, including the side.

6. Let the icing dry and set for about 30 minutes before serving.

This cake celebrates two amazing things in this world: chocolate and beer.
100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine (Murdoch Books)
This cake celebrates two amazing things in this world: chocolate and beer.

Irish coffee creams

If you like the sound of coffee custard with lots of sugar and cream, this recipe is for you. This Irish coffee cream recipe is rich and sweet with a hint of whiskey.

"This ultra retro recipe (with its gelatine and cornstarch) comes from the inimitable Delia Smith. I have added some whiskey to make it a little less sensible and a little more my style," Deseine said.

Serves six.

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 sheets gelatine
  • 4 eggs
  • 250ml (1 cup) full-cream milk
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 6 teaspoons instant coffee granules
  • 2 tablespoons whiskey
  • 200g crème fraîche
  • 150ml thin (pouring/whipping) cream, well chilled

For the coffee syrup:

  • 175g demerara sugar
  • 3 teaspoons instant coffee granules

METHOD

1. Soak the sheets of gelatine in a bowl of water for a few minutes, then squeeze them out well. Separate the eggs.

2. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it gently. Beat the egg yolks with the cornflour in a mixing bowl. Once the milk has almost come to the boil, pour it over the egg yolks, whisking at the same time.

3. Transfer this mixture to the saucepan and add the coffee and gelatine, any excess water squeezed out. Return the saucepan to a low heat and heat while stirring until the custard thickens. Let the mixture cool before adding the whiskey, then the crème fraîche.

4. Beat the egg whites to peaks using an electric beater, then fold them very gently into the coffee custard. Divide the resulting mousse into tall glasses, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for two hours.

5. Make the coffee syrup: Heat the demerara sugar with 225ml of water in a saucepan, then let it simmer for 15 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. Melt the coffee in one tablespoon of hot water before adding it to the syrup. Let it cool completely in the fridge.

6. Serve the coffee creams by pouring a little coffee syrup over them, then top them off with the cream, whipped until light with an electric beater.

Get your coffee hit with the help of sweet, creamy custard and a hint of whisky.
100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine (Murdoch Books)
Get your coffee hit with the help of sweet, creamy custard and a hint of whisky.

Lemon cake with Cognac

Lemon cake is a family favourite -- it's sweet, zesty and rich -- but this spiked version is best enjoyed by adults.

"The Cognac adds an irresistible little kick to this rich and dense cake. Served with lemon curd, it is divine," Deseine said.

Serves 8–10.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

  • 100g lightly salted butter, softened
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 175g plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons full-cream milk
  • 1 tablespoon Cognac

For the icing:

  • 125g icing sugar
  • Juice of 2 lemons

METHOD

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4). Beat the butter with the caster sugar in a mixing bowl, then add the flour, baking powder, eggs, milk and finally the Cognac. Beat for one minute with an electric beater until the mixture is creamy and uniform.

2. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured loaf tin. Put the cake in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until the top is firm and golden. To check whether the cake is cooked all the way through, insert the blade of a knife into the middle; it should come out clean. Take the cake out of the oven.

3. Make the icing: Mix the sugar with the lemon juice, then pour this syrup over the cake while it's still in its tin. Make sure you pour the lemon syrup over the cake while it is still hot. Let the cake cool and dry completely before turning it out and serving.

This zesty dessert is rich yet fluffy, and topped off with a kick of fruity cognac.
100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine (Murdoch Books)
This zesty dessert is rich yet fluffy, and topped off with a kick of fruity cognac.

Recipes and images from 100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine (Murdoch Books) $39.99 available now in all good bookstores and online.

100 Desserts to Die For by Trish Deseine (Murdoch Books)
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