Desserts to make with homemade Irish cream liqueur
A homemade Irish cream is one of those things that earns its keep twice, because it's lovely in a small glass after dinner and it's even better folded through a dessert, where a splash of it does the work of the vanilla and a bit more besides. Here's how I'd use a bottle in the kitchen, and where it's a waste of a good batch.
Making the Irish cream first
An Irish cream at home starts from an essence or a premix, and the pack tells you what else goes in with it and in what ratio, so follow that rather than a number off the internet. There's an Edwards Essences Irish Cream Essence that goes into a Still Spirits Cream Liqueur Base, and if you'd rather have it all in one there's a Samuel Willard's Irish cream premix too.
It's all made on a bought spirit, so there's no distilling involved and no licence to worry about.
Where it works in a dessert
Anything with the liqueur folded in cold keeps its alcohol, so these are desserts for the grown ups at the table.
- Tiramisu. Swap some of the coffee liqueur for Irish cream in the soaking mix and the whole thing goes softer and more chocolatey. It's better the next day, so it's a good one to make ahead.
- Chocolate mousse. A couple of tablespoons folded through with the cream rounds out a dark chocolate mousse without making it taste boozy.
- Baked cheesecake. Use it in place of the vanilla in the filling. If you're baking it in a water bath, wrap the outside of the springform tin in foil, because nobody wants a soggy base.
- Affogato. Pour a shot of hot coffee and a splash of Irish cream over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and that's dessert done in 2 minutes.
- Iced pops for grown ups. Blend it with coconut milk and a little cold coffee and freeze it in moulds overnight. The alcohol slows the freezing, so they come out softer than a normal ice block and won't set rock hard.
Where it's wasted
Anything that bakes for a long time at high heat cooks off most of the alcohol and a fair bit of the flavour with it, so a long baked cake gets very little out of it. It's at its best stirred in cold or added near the end, and if you want it to really show in something baked, brush a little over the top once it's out of the oven.
Look after the bottle
A cream liqueur is a dairy product with alcohol in it, so keep it in the fridge once it's made and use it within the time on the pack. If it ever starts to separate or smells sour it's gone, and no dessert will rescue it.
Shop related products
- Edwards Essences Irish Cream Essence. The flavouring this post is built on.
- Still Spirits Cream Liqueur Base 400g. The creamy base that carries the essence.
- Samuel Willard's Irish Cream premix flavour. The all in one option if you want it simpler.
- Still Spirits Butterscotch Cream 50ML. Another cream liqueur that suits the same desserts.
Did you know we also keep 1125ml glass spirit bottles in the shop for bottling a batch. They're not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.
- How to cook with homemade coffee liqueur
- Why the liqueur base matters more than the essence
- How to infuse a bought spirit at home
For more ideas, Brewhilder is a handy place to start, or have a look through the Edwards Essences range.
I'm firmly of the opinion that whoever makes the tiramisu gets to taste the soaking mix, purely for quality control.
Candeece
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