Grasshopper Swirl Bunt Cake

This Grasshopper Bundt Cake is rich, mint and a definite crowd pleaser. 

Who doesn’t love the combo of mint and chocolate! 

I love a good Bundt cake. This homemade Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake is unique in that it has these delicious green mint ribbons throughout it. And don’t get me started on the chocolate ganache drizzle! Trust me, this cake is not lacking in the flavor department! 

Ingredients
Filing

• 2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ½  tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 drops green food color

Cake

• 2 boxes of Chocolate cake mix plus ingredients requested on the box

Chocolate and Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, optional 
• 1 or 2 drops green food color

Instructions

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease bundt pan. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth and fluffy. Beat in rest of ingredients until smooth; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cake mix as directed on the box. 

Pour half the cake batter into the pan. Spoon cream cheese filling over batter, using a butter knife, swirl the filing throughout the cake batter. Pour the rest of the cake batter on top.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted; set aside. 

For glaze, mix the ingredients in a medium size bowl. Make sure you sift the powdered sugar, or else you will have lumps. Add water if you need to thicken the glaze until it can be easily drizzled. Drizzle over cake. 

Immediately spoon melted chocolate over glaze in a 1/2-inch-wide ring. 

Refrigerate until serving time. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.

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Sautéed Cabbage

This Easy Sautéed Cabbage recipe is perfect for a quick side dish for any meal but especially on St. Patrick’s Day!  It’s a rustic side dish with tender, caramelized cabbage flavored with garlic, and Guinness. If you think you don’t like cabbage you need to try it this way!

Serve with my Slow Cooked Guinness Corned beef and Irish Cheddar & Garlic Soda bread

Ingredients

• 1 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced 
• 1 clove of garlic, minced 
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce 
• ¼ cup Guinness 
• Salt & pepper to taste 

Instructions 

Heat a large 12-inch skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter- about 7 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add half of the cabbage, stir and cook until it begins to wilt and reduce in volume, about 2 minutes. 

Add the remaining cabbage and stir until wilted, 2 minutes. Continue to cook for 8 minutes, stirring every minute to allow lightly even browning.

Add the Guiness, Worcester sauce and vinegar, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add the salt and pepper, stir and cook for 1 minute. Season to taste. 

Irish Cheddar & Garlic Soda Bread

Irish soda bread flavored with cheese, garlic, and herbs is the perfect, easy bread to serve as the ultimate side dish for St. Patrick’s day!

There’s no yeast & no rising! And you still get a fluffy, flavorful loaf of bread. Just mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and bake!

It’s also very versatile and you can add pretty much anything. Different kinds of cheese, herbs, onions, garlic and even sun-dried tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients are all pantry/fridge staples.

Serve with my Slow Cooked Guinness Corned beef and Sautéed Cabbage.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar, cut into ¼-inch cubes
• ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated 
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
•  2 tablespoons green onions, sliced
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons butter

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkle a small amount of flour onto the sheet where you will be placing the bread.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, black pepper, parmesan cheese and sugar, whisk together until combined.

Add to the dry mixture the cheddar, herbs, garlic and green onions, mix.

Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture, mixing until combined.

Knead for 1-2 minutes, until the dough holds together. Add more liquid if dough is not forming.

Form dough into a round loaf and transfer to the floured parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Cut a cross into the top of the dough, about ½ inch deep and 2-inches long. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the cover, pour 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the top and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes, or until the soda bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf. 

Remove from the oven and place two tablespoons of butter on the top and allow it to melt. 

Serve.

Guinness Slow Cooked Corned Beef

This Slow Cooked Guinness Corned Beef is a simple one dish meal full of flavor! Tender corned beef, carrots, and potatoes, all cooked in one crockpot!

Tips for cooking tender corned beef:

Low and slow: This is the ONLY way to cook corned beef. Brisket is a very tough cut of meat and the only way to get tender beef is the low and slow method. 

Time: It takes a long time to get tender brisket. I always end up leaving mine in the crockpot for 10 hours.

Rest: All cuts of meat need to rest after they are done cooking. This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat. Allow to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Carving: Another tip for tender corned beef is to cut across the grain. Brisket has long fibrous strands and by cutting across the grain it makes them much shorter and more tender.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (3½ pound) corned beef brisket
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (or whatever you have on hand) scrubbed well and cut into large chunks
• 10 baby carrots
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 (12 oz) Guinness stout (or can use about 2 cups beef broth)
• Seasoning packet that came with corned beef

Guinness Mustard Sauce

• ¾ cup Dijon mustard, coarse ground
• 2 tablespoons Guinness beer, or other stout or porter
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Guinness Horseradish Sauce

• ¾ cup sour cream
• ⅓ cup Horseradish 
• 2 tablespoons Guinness beer, or other stout or porter
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Sear the meat in a large pan on each side. 

Place corned beef in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the seasoning packet. Pour Guinness around the corned beef then place the potatoes and carrots around the corned beef. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. NO PEEKING! 

To make sauces

Whisk each sauce ingredients together in a bowl. 

Serve with my Irish Cheddar & Garlic Soda bread and Sautéed cabbage.