Chocolate Whiskey Cake With Coffee Caramel
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 2 hours 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour plus 1½ hours cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9-by-13-inch sheet cake (24 servings)
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1¾cups/240 grams all-purpose flour
- 1cup/94 grams natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2teaspoons baking soda
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- 1¾cups/434 grams whole milk, at room temperature
- 1⅔cups/335 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/111 grams olive or neutral-flavored oil
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔cup/160 grams whole milk
- ¼cup/54 grams whiskey
- 1½tablespoons instant coffee
- ¾teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½cups/325 grams light brown sugar
- ¾cup/180 grams heavy cream
- 2tablespoons instant coffee
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter
- 3tablespoons natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- Fresh, food-safe yellow and white flowers, like chamomile and chrysanthemum (optional)
For the Cake
For the Whiskey Soak
For the Coffee Caramel Glaze
To Decorate
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
327 calories; 18 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 228 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Prepare the Cake
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla to combine.
- Step 3
Using a fine-mesh strainer or sieve, sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. (This prevents the cocoa from clumping.) Whisk to combine. The mixture will have small lumps, but do not continue whisking the batter to complete smoothness. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Step 4
Bake until the center springs back to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before soaking. The cake, wrapped tightly, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Make the Whiskey Soak
- Step 5
In a small bowl, whisk the milk, whiskey, instant coffee and vanilla until the coffee dissolves. The soak can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Step 6
Prick the cooled cake all over with a small serrated knife. Pour the soak all over and let sit for the cake to absorb it, at least 5 minutes.
Prepare the Glaze
- Step 7
In a large saucepan, whisk the brown sugar, cream, instant coffee, vanilla and salt. Add the butter and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil the caramel, whisking occasionally, until a candy thermometer registers 235 degrees (the soft ball stage), 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce will be a deep mahogany and smell toasty and rich, like graham crackers.
- Step 8
Remove from the heat, whisk to help the bubbles subside quickly and carefully pour the hot glaze over the soaked cake. Use a small offset spatula to smooth it and push it into the corners of the pan if needed.
- Step 9
Let the cake stand at room temperature until the icing firms up, at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours. The cake, wrapped tightly, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Decorate the Cake
- Step 10
When ready to serve, dust the cake with cocoa powder using a small tea strainer or other sieve. Dot the flowers all over the surface. Use a serrated bread knife to portion the cake into rectangles 1½ inches wide and 3 inches long.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Anne
You can make it in a Pyrex dish. Lower the baking temp 25 degrees and watch your bake time. Glass heats slower than metal but retains heat longer. I use Pyrex for my brownies and prefer the finish I get on the bottom and sides over the metal pans. I just made the coffee caramel for a cheesecake and it is divine!
dimmerswitch
HEADS UP RE BUTTER measurement forcaramel glaze! I use weights for dry ingredients when baking and today I decided to weigh butter too but 1/2C of butter is 113g NOT the 225g as published in this first version of the recipe. I hope NYT Cooking will change it. 225-7g is a cup of butter.
Marie
I love the idea of this, but don't want the alcohol for various reasons. Can anyone suggest what might be a good sub for the alcohol in the soak?
Mary F
A half a cup of butter is one stick or 113 grams, not 225 grams as written.
Su
Definitely not a good choice for shipping! This cake is moist, so it might mold or otherwise spoil and fall apart during shipping. Look for something sturdy and relatively dry, like a pound cake. If you begin with a chocolate cake recipe (because cocoa is important to the cake's chemistry, so you want that to be in the original), you can always add some coffee and whisky (replacing part of the liquid in the original recipe, if necessary) to arrive at a similar set of flavors.
dimmerswitch
S you ask if this can be baked in a 13x9 glass (pyrex) dish. It can although the baking time and outside of cake can be different when cooked in glass vs metal cake pan. I'll link Wms Sonoma site to show 13x9 rectangular cake pan examples as one source. https://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?words=cake%20pan&sbkey=williams-sonoma-home
dimmerswitch
Easily scalable to reduce by half & use 8x8 pan for 12 pieces. I used weights for dry ingredients, measures for others. Careful w/butter in glaze bcuz original recipe said 225g for 1/2C but 225g is 1C! Came together easily. Cake is chocolatey and moist. Caramel glaze is great but all elements together too sweet for us. Glaze can be challenge to cut cleanly through when portioning, even after a few hours rest time so not pretty item to serve item. Fun to have tried.
dimmerswitch
Caly, You ask if one can sub bourbon for whiskey in this cake. All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. ;-) So, yes indeed, bourbon would work swell in this as the whiskey of choice. It is what I am using.
AC
I made this exactly like the recipe except for 2 modifications: I used 1/3 cup whiskey and used the correct 1 stick of butter. I would say it was good, but not great. If I make it again, I'll bump the whiskey to 1/2 cup and use a cold water test for the "soft ball" stage of the caramel. My caramel seemed a little thin and after a couple of hours most of it had soaked into the cake. My 9 cake testers gave it a 6 out of 10, even suggesting that a buttercream frosting would have been better...
Vicki
Made this cake twice, second time putting all the coffee in the caramel; flavor is lost in the cake, but great in caramel. Bringing caramel to 235 deg (necessary to keep it from soaking into the cake) takes 30 minutes, not 5-10. Rely on thermometer, not on time. Also the cake was very well done at 35 minutes, not 40-50. Made half-recipe second time because it's very rich and makes way too much unless for a big party! Make full recipe of caramel though; you'll want to use it on other desserts.
Deb
Made this for Father's Day-HUGE hit, even with non-whiskey fans (me!). I didn't think I would like the cake due to the whiskey soak, & also was a bit concerned the cake would be soggy. Nope! It was wonderful. I used oat milk instead of whole milk in the cake & soak-that was plenty rich. LOVED the caramel!!! As another reviewer said, it doesn't cut particularly pretty (however, after sitting overnight, it was a perfect texture). I also would suggest going old school as my mixture didn't reach 235
Lauren
It was delicious, but not as delicious as it sounds. The recipe for the cake itself was spot on. I couldn't taste the whiskey in the finished product, and the caramel application was meh (the caramel tasted great...even if a little thin...but did not apply well and then mostly stuck to the foil wrapper I'd used to cover it). Next time, I'll half the recipe and apply the caramel when plating.
Nivvi
Could I sub in rum for whiskey? Or would that ruin the taste?? I only ask because rum is a little more easily accessible to me
Mary Wenninger
Think about using 1/2 c of butter instead of 1 cup for the caramel sauce. When made with 1 cup; all the glaze (which was thin) soaked into the cake; and while the flavor was excellent, we didn't like the texture. I used a thermometer to get to the softball stage, but next time will confirm with a water test. I will also cut the recipe in half because it's too much and too rich.
Judy
I am making this a second time. The cake is great. I used rum but may use bourbon this time, and more of it. I will need to cook the caramel longer. I think I used 1/2 c butter the first time.
Sali
Substitute the whiskey with raspberry juice.
jessip
My cake domed and much of the caramel slid to the side. (It was still SO delicious) Any suggestions for having the cake bake with a flatter too so the caramel can be more evenly spread?
Cheri
I use something called a cake pan strip--soaked in water and snugged around the outside of the pan, it delays the setting of the edges of the cake before the inner zone, which continues to rise, thus the doming. I got mine on amazon but I bet places like Joann's and Michael's have them in their food decorating section. They come in sets that can be joined together for bigger pans.
Vicki
Made this cake twice, second time putting all the coffee in the caramel; flavor is lost in the cake, but great in caramel. Bringing caramel to 235 deg (necessary to keep it from soaking into the cake) takes 30 minutes, not 5-10. Rely on thermometer, not on time. Also the cake was very well done at 35 minutes, not 40-50. Made half-recipe second time because it's very rich and makes way too much unless for a big party! Make full recipe of caramel though; you'll want to use it on other desserts.
Rachel
Still confused about correct quantity of butter in the Coffee Caramel Glaze. I used the specified 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter and my glaze was runny and never really reached soft ball stage, even with repeated attempts with cold water. Has anyone made the glaze with just one stick of butter (1/2 cup), and if so was glaze stiffer and able to cover cake and stay put?
Michele Ireland
We loved it! Not being a big coffee fan, I used less - only in the whiskey soak and half as much.
Roblin
We usually loved the NYT cake recipes. This is the first one that we will not make again. The cake was moist but we didn’t taste the whiskey. We felt that the coffee paired with the caramel glaze was just too heavy.
Tamara
I subbed Calvados for the whiskey and made 2 9" rounds so I could use for 2 occasions. I did not catch the butter error so my frosting never solidified but was more of a sticky glaze that soaked into the cake and did not cover up the too-large holes I had poked. It was not pretty, but it was absolutely delicious and several guests said it was the best chocolate cake they ever had- must have been all that butter and sugar!
Deb
Made this for Father's Day-HUGE hit, even with non-whiskey fans (me!). I didn't think I would like the cake due to the whiskey soak, & also was a bit concerned the cake would be soggy. Nope! It was wonderful. I used oat milk instead of whole milk in the cake & soak-that was plenty rich. LOVED the caramel!!! As another reviewer said, it doesn't cut particularly pretty (however, after sitting overnight, it was a perfect texture). I also would suggest going old school as my mixture didn't reach 235
Rachel
Followed the recipe as written. This cake is a standout! This recipe is a keeper and will be made again and again!!!
Vik
This might be the perfect chocolate cake recipe. The crumb is so moist in every bite while still holding together beautifully. It is an ideal level of sweetness, especially for dark chocolate lovers, tempered by notes of coffee, whisky and salted dark caramel. I will come back to this again and again. The NYT has already adjusted the amount of butter in the caramel glaze to 1 cup, so pay no mind to the comments pointing out the original discrepancy. Make this exactly as instructed! Wow.
Marianne W
@Marie, I understand your concern about the alcohol, but even a large slice of this cake (1/12) has only a teaspoon of whiskey. Vanilla extract is also alcoholic but you could use a non-alcoholic version if you truly want to eliminate it. Good luck!
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