3 Recipes for St. Paddy’s
Two sweets and a soda bread
Whether you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day for real, or in a green beer and Shamrock Shakes kind of way, I’m coming to you today with three recipes from the Susanality archives that would befit any kind of Paddy’s celebration.
The first is an Irish soda bread that’s based on one my friend Cliodhna Prendergast made for a workshop I taught with her and Imen McDonnell in Ireland back in 2015. It was my first time visiting the country, and I immediately fell in love with the place. The people, the food, the sheep! If you have never been, make sure to add it to your bucket list.
The other two recipes were adapted from Imen’s book, The Farmette Cookbook: Recipes and Adventures from My Life on an Irish Farm. I first shared them in 2023’s Paddy’s-themed missive, and I figured I’d reintroduce them today. Like the soda bread, they are both recipes you can make and enjoy within a single afternoon.
The Fruity Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Espresso Glaze is normally a cake that improves over several days as the dried fruit lends its moisture to the surrounding crumb, but I made a few changes that make it just right for a same-day baking project. The other recipe is for Irish Stout Chocolate Brownies, and, I have to tell you, I think they are the best brownies I have ever tasted. The Guinness doesn’t necessarily jump out as a flavor on its own, but what it does do is deepen the chocolate flavor. They are without a doubt the chocolatiest, richest brownies ever.
Whatever your plans are for St. Paddy’s this year, I hope you'll consider making one, two, or all three of these wonderful recipes.