Irish Whiskey Cake

A slice of whiskey cake with orange peel and whipped cream.

What do you get when you cross an orange bundt cake with an Irish Whiskey cake? A moist, boozy St. Patrick’s Day cake with an aromatic citrus flavor. Make the cake and orange-whiskey syrup the day before serving, so this whiskey dessert can get properly soused.

mixing dry ingredients, and adding butter and oil for the orange bundt cake batter.

I love beautiful desserts. Carefully crafted, frosted just so, embellished with dainty filigree… but if I’m honest, I rarely have the patience or temerity to dedicate the hours (days) to make one. No. This orange bundt cake is much more my speed.  Rather than focusing on the ooh-la-la garnishes, it’s stoically centered on producing an uber-moist, deeply-flavored, Irish whiskey cake that might look ho-hum, but tastes anything but.

 

Mixing ingredients and adding eggs and orange zest to the Irish Whiskey cake.

This orange bundt cake was inspired by a Caribbean rum cake recipe from the folks at King Arthur Flour. I love rum cakes that are so soaked with liquor, they practically weep when you cut into them.  That’s what their recipe promised and was definitely what I was going for in terms of moistness.  Instead of rum, whiskey takes center stage along with fresh orange zest and juice from the orange to mellow the burn of the whiskey. Don’t worry though, this whiskey dessert cooks off the alcohol, so kids can enjoy a slice too.

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Adding Jameson Irish whiskey to the batter.

I used Jameson Irish whiskey in the batter and syrup for this cake.  No need to get out the really good stuff — and even if you don’t have any “Irish”on hand, you can substitute another whiskey — don’t worry, it’s gonna be good.

How To Make Irish Whiskey Cake

  • About an hour or so before making the cake, take out the butter, milk and eggs to come to room temperature. This is very important, so that everything combines evenly.
  • Measure out the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Add the butter and oil and use a hand mixer to blend until the mixture resembles wet sand.
  • Next come the eggs and milk. Mix to combine.
  • Finally, add in the whiskey, vanilla and orange zest (from 2 oranges) and blend well.
  • Pour the orange bundt cake batter into a prepared bundt pan and bake for an hour.
pouring batter into a prepared pan to bake.

While the cake is cooking, make the orange whiskey syrup.

Ingredients For Syrup

  • Butter
  • Whiskey
  • Orange Juice
  • Sugar

How To Make Orange Whiskey Syrup for Orange Bundt Cake

  1. Add the butter, whiskey, orange juice (from the oranges you zested for the cake batter) and sugar in a small saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar melts.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the syrup is reduced and slightly thickened.
Poking holes in the baked cake and drenching it with orange whiskey syrup.

Soaking & Serving This St. Patrick’s Day Cake

  • Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the surface of the orange bundt cake.
  • In stages, pour the orange whiskey syrup over the cake.  Allow the syrup to seep into the cake before pouring on more syrup. Continue in this manner until all the syrup has been drizzled over the cake.
  • Cover the cake with plastic wrap and let sit overnight so that the syrup can completely infuse the cake.
  • Note: Do not remove the cake from the pan until the next day!
  • The following day, preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Remove the plastic wrap and place the cake in the oven.
  • Heat the cake for 10 minutes — this is to loosen up the sticky syrup and allow the Irish whiskey cake to naturally release from the bundt pan.
  • Turn the cake out onto a serving platter.
  • Serve with whipped cream on the side if desired.
allowing syrup to soak into the Irish whiskey cake.

Despite its humble appearance, this buttery, rich gateau delivers eye-popping goodness, bite after bite. A perfectly moist whiskey dessert with citrusy orange flavors, it doesn’t need any special frou-frou ornamentation to make it extraordinary. I gravitate towards desserts like this one because they look unassuming, but deliver a “pow” right-in-the-kisser type of experience.

Orange bundt cake on a cake stand with a slice taken out.

I urge you to try this one for yourself, as a celebratory St. Patrick’s Day cake or as a dessert for your next dinner party or brunch. A skosh of freshly whipped cream and curl of orange peel are the only “frosting” required.

St. Patrick's Day Cake on a plate with a fork and orange peel.

More Whiskey Desserts From My Food Blogger Buddies

From Rhubarbarians: Irish Bomber Car Bomb Pops with a hit of Irish Cream, Guinness and Whiskey — Tricia’s “pops” definitely flirt with “getting bombed“.

Via Diversivore: Sean has a way of oh-my-my-ing everything he makes. Check out this Kumquat Apple Tart with Scotch Whiskey Caramel.

From Basil & Bubbly: You might think Thanksgiving, but one taste of Marianne’s Bourbon Pecan Pie with Blondie Crust and you won’t be beholden to seasonal mandates.

The perfect St. Patrick's Day cake with a dollop of whipped cream and orange peel.
Closeup of the cake on a plate.



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4.22 from 23 votes

Soused Irish Whiskey Orange Bundt Cake

Super moist, this cake (with pudding in the mix) has Irish Whiskey in the batter and the luscious citrus scented syrup it’s soaked in. I’d rather have this than green beer anytime!
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Irish
Keyword irish whiskey, navel orange, st. patrick’s day, whiskey
Dietary Restrictions Vegetarian
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 16

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE IRISH WHISKEY ORANGE BUNDT CAKE:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3.4 ounce box Instant Vanilla Pudding not sugar free
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick) at room temperature
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ cup milk at room temperature
  • ½ cup Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson’s)
  • 2 oranges zested
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • dusting of almond flour optional

FOR THE SOAKING SYRUP:

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup Irish Whiskey
  • ¼ cup orange juice (from one of the oranges you zested)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE IRISH WHISKEY ORANGE BUNDT CAKE

  • Make sure the oven rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare a 10″ bundt pan by spraying liberally with vegetable spray and dusting the interior with almond flour to coat. Tap out the excess crumbs and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and brown sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla pudding, butter and oil. Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to blend until well blended and mixture resembles sandy crumbs.
  • Beat in the milk and eggs, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to assure that you’re incorporating everything from the bottom and sides. Add the whiskey, vanilla and orange zest and mix well.
  • Pour the cake into the prepared bundt pan and bake in the center of the oven for one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not remove the cake from the pan.

FOR THE WHISKEY SYRUP:

  • In a small saucepan, combine the butter, orange juice, sugar and whiskey.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to a bubbly simmer and let it cook for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Remove from heat.
  • With the cake still in the cake pan, use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake.  Pour the syrup over the cake in ¼ cup increments, letting it soak in before adding more.  Use all of the orange whiskey syrup.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight to distribute the syrup throughout the cake.

TO SERVE IRISH WHISKEY CAKE

  • The next day, heat the oven to 350°. Heat the cake for 10 minutes in the oven to heat up the sticky syrup mixture to allow the cake to release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a cake plate. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

RECIPE VIDEO:

YouTube video

NUTRITION:

Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 147mg | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Vitamin C: 10.6mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Pin “Orange Bundt Cake” For Later!

Looking for a boozy St. Patrick's Day Cake? This Orange Bundt cake is it, w/a rich buttery liquor-infused syrup, it's the Irish Whiskey Cake of your dreams. #irishwhiskeycake #bundtcakerecipes #orangecake

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13 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Awesome recipe! Huge hit! I did make it with Orange Jameson and it was fantastic!

  2. 5 stars
    Made this for St. Patrick’s day. It was the big hit of the gathering!! The citrus took it over the top (the whiskey didn’t hurt!). Very moist and just delicious! Thanks for this, Lisa!

  3. Lola Kampf says:

    5 stars
    Could you freeze this for a week?

  4. 5 stars
    Hi-

    Have you tested this recipe in one cup batter mini bundt cake pans (six bundts in a pan)? I would like to “share the gold” with some friends on St. Patrick’s Day. Also, do you recommend light brown sugar?

    Thank you,
    Mj

    1. I haven’t tried it in mini bundt pans, but I think it sounds like a great idea. Yes, I always use light brown sugar for this.

  5. Hi! This looks so good, I am wondering if the vanilla instant pudding can be taken out or a substitution? What does that do to help with the bundle cake? Thank you!

    1. No, you really need to use the instant pudding. Believe me, it’s not something I would usually use, but it makes the cake so moist.

  6. 5 stars
    I bet that citrus flavor makes the whole kitchen a special place! Whiskey always goes well with desserts. In fact, the flavor that it gives is one-of-a-kind for me. So I can only imagine how delicious this moist cake is – yum!

    1. You don’t have to imagine, Elaine. Make it — definitely worth it!

  7. 5 stars
    OMG, this sounds absolutely lush! What a fabulous idea, I can’t wait to have some with ice-cream.
    Thank you so much for sharing!
    Julie

  8. 5 stars
    Pass me a fork! This looks divine. I need to make this very very soon! Thank you for sharing!

  9. 5 stars
    This looks heavenly! Bundt cakes are always so pretty and the flavor of this one takes it to the next level!