Food Recipes Desserts Cake Irish-Style Bundt Cake with Whiskey-Caramel Sauce 5.0 (1) 1 Review Famous Irish ingredients such as dark beer and strong whiskey make this rich cake deeply flavorful and moist. By Courtney Contos Courtney Contos Chef Courtney Contos is a French-trained chef, culinary educator, and wellness coach with more than 30 years of experience, known for seasonal cooking classes and recipe development. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 11, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Con Poulos Active Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Yield: 8 to 10 servings Jump to recipe Combined with molasses and brown sugar, the malty porter gives the cake a complex bittersweet flavor.Brushing the warm cake with a reduced porter-maple glaze adds shine and extra depth of flavor, while also helping to keep it moist.The warm whiskey-caramel sauce balances buttery sweetness with a punch of Irish spirits, making for a dramatic topping. This complex, deeply flavorful cake from chef Courtney Contos tastes like the dessert version of a well-poured porter: malty, dark-edged, and full of warm spice. Serve it with an indulgent caramel sauce spiked with whiskey — preferably Irish whiskey — to bring it to the next level. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Pick a porter you'd actually like to drink — you'll taste the difference. Take care controlling the heat while making the caramel. Take it off the burner when it turns deep amber (not mahogany) and whisk in the cream and whiskey off the heat to avoid scorching. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Cake 1 1/2 cups porter or stout (such as Guinness), divided 1 cup unsulfured molasses 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/3 cup cocoa nibs 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs Sauce 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup whiskey Directions Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large saucepan, whisk 1 cup of the porter (or stout) with the molasses and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the baking soda, and let cool completely. In a medium saucepan, whisk the maple syrup with the remaining 1/2 cup of porter (or stout) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, butter a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with flour; shake off the excess. In a large bowl, whisk the 3 cups of flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cocoa nibs. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the 1 1/2 sticks of butter with the brown and granulated sugars at medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until just incorporated. At low speed, beat in the cooled porter-molasses mixture, then gradually beat in the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the center of the oven for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the warm cake onto a rack and brush with the cooled porter-syrup mixture. Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with the water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream and whiskey. Cook over low heat for 1 minute. Let cool slightly. Cut the cake into wedges and serve, passing the warm whiskey caramel at the table. Originally appeared: March 2015 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.