Twelve Days of Irish Recipes: Ruthy's Spiced Whiskey Cake
Written by Ciaran on Dec. 02, 2025 | 0 Comments
We're sharing one of our own recipes each day as part of our 12 Days of Christmas offers, inspired by that traditional carol and the funny Irish version, Christmas Countdown.
A second helping of dessert
We started with dessert yesterday so we may as well continue! For those that don’t fancy all the fruits and nuts of the more traditional Christmas cake of Day 1, this whiskey cake does a good job of capturing the spiced sweet flavours of the original, while remaining pretty light. Light is just about what I can manage after a BIG Christmas dinner!
Packed with flavor, but not overwhelmingly so, this is the perfect cake for a cup of coffee, Irish if you like! Ideal for later in the evening, when you are just thinking you might be able to eat again after the feast earlier in the day. This is when the singing and music has usually kicked off in our house and this lighter cake won't cramp your style!
Our good friend Ruthy put this recipe together for us, in truth as a substitute for another type of fruitcake that makes an appearance at big family gatherings here in Ireland... a wedding cake. It does just as good a job as an alternative for the traditional Irish Christmas cake too, and is a firm favorite in our house.
Ingredients
For the spiced whiskey:
- 3/4 cup Irish whiskey (Jameson, Powers, whatever you have in your cupboard)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
For the cake: (makes 2 layers - double it if you want a show-stopping tower to feed a crowd!)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the buttercream
- 8-10 oz white chocolate
- 5 cups confectioners sugar
- 8oz room temperature unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease two 9” cake pans and line with parchment paper on the bottom and sides.
- Combine the whiskey (we use Black Bush as it's already a little spicy and sweet but any whiskey will do) and spices in a small saucepan and slowly heat until simmering.
- Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the heat and let steep for at least one hour. Strain and discard the seasonings, keeping the liquid aside.
- In a large bowl, sift the salt, flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients: buttermilk, caster sugar, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth, then add ½ cup of the spiced whiskey and stir to combine.
- Slowly fold in the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring gently until just combined.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake pans and place them in the oven.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Check on the cakes after 30 minutes; they are done when the tops have browned, and an inserted toothpick or tester comes out clean.
- While your cakes are in the oven, make the Hazelnut and white chocolate buttercream
- Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie. Heat a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat, then (carefully) place a heatproof bowl on top. Melt the chocolate, stirring fairly continuously so it doesn't stick and burn
- When completely melted carefully remove the bowl and set it aside.
- Using a handheld mixer, whisk in the sugar on low, a cup at a time. Add the butter and hazelnut extract, and whisk until fluffy.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing with buttercream between the two layers and a generous spread of icing on top, too! Just like with the traditional Christmas cake, add any Christmas decorations you like to give it a festive look!
What's Next?
Check back in with us tomorrow for Day 3 of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas, or open door number 2 of our 12 Days of Christmas offers! And, of course, if you need any help selecting a gift for yourself or a loved one, please do get in touch.
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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