Irish cream flavors this cake

The last few days, I've been sharing recipes in honor of St. Patrick's Day, which is this coming Sunday. Even if you're not of Irish descent, this one day, we can all claim to have some Irish blood in us! It's a fun time to sport something green and pay tribute to this Irish holiday.

If you enjoy Irish coffee, then I have a real treat for you! "Irish Cream & Coffee Pound Cake" will be a recipe that'll be fun to serve this Sunday. It's very appropriate for the holiday and has an interesting flavor. It contains butter, so you know this will be a flavorful dessert. The Irish cream liquor, along with some instant coffee, will create a cake that you'll want to remember.

If you've been following my column, I've mentioned before in articles about pound cakes that there are some ground rules to making a successful pound cake. Pound cakes tend to be the most temperamental of all cakes. Therefore, some rules I would suggest are as follows:

• Have all your ingredients at room temperature.
• Cream the butter, sugar and eggs very well. This is where most of the beating for a pound cake takes place. A complete creaming helps guarantee a high, light cake.
• Once the flour is added, use care to not overbeat the batter. Overbeating will cause tunnels throughout the cake's texture and may even cause the cake to fall.
• I recommend a stand mixer for making a pound cake. While the butter and sugar cream, this would enable you to gather the rest of the needed ingredients together, grease the pan, etc.

This cake, like any pound cake, is good the day it's made, but tends to improve once it's sits covered overnight. For serving, use a serrated-edge knife and use a sawing motion to cut. This will prevent matting of the cake. Serve this along with coffee, tea or punch and this will be a treat you'll enjoy having for the 17th!

In case you missed my other two columns where I shared Irish recipes, here's the links to them so that you can get them:

http://www.examiner.com/article/a-bread-that-s-completely-irish

http://www.examiner.com/article/a-colorful-st-patrick-s-day-salad

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and salute the Irish with this special cake:

IRISH CREAM & COFFEE POUND CAKE

• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1-1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Irish cream Glaze (recipe follows)
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Cream the butter at medium speed of electric mixer about 2 minutes or until soft and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating at medium speed 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears. Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water; stir in liqueur. Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with coffee mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix at low speed only until blended after each addition of flour. Stir in the flavorings.

Turn mixture into a greased and floured 13-cup Bundt pan and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes; remove from pan and cool 30 minutes on wire rack. Brush with Irish Cream Glaze, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Let cool completely. Yield: 1 10-inch cake.

Irish Cream Glaze:

• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur
• 2/3 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water; add liqueur and powdered sugar, stirring until blended. Yield: about 1/2 cup.