Whiskey Cake
So in case you’ve been living under a rock, it’s September, and everyone in Boston is leaning hard into pretending it’s Fall, even if it’s still weather-appropriate to be in sundresses and sandals. Don’t get me wrong – I love Fall. And I think I finally get why everyone else does, too.
You see, at age 28, I have finally found myself in a job where I’m working year round, straight through the summer. No summer vacation (RIP teaching career). No summer internships with big breaks on either end (RIP being a student). Just work. And I’ve found that while I still love summer and warmth and flip flops, it’s actually a little bit depressing to work during the summer. I went to the beach exactly once this year. If you know me at all, you know how appalling that is.
So when there was that first day with a touch of chill in the air and I had to pull on a light jacket, I was PUMPED. Fall was coming, and I no longer had to be sad about how not-tan I was, because I could wear sweaters and boots and eat all of the pumpkin things again. And I think that’s actually why people like Fall – because, though no one will admit it, summer as an adult is just a tiny bit depressing.
Anyways, with it being September, it also meant I felt like I could start pulling out the Fall recipes. September is my apple recipe month and October is my pumpkin recipe month. But, even though I am so excited for Fall, I felt like you all may need to be eased into it a bit more.
Other than apples and pumpkin, this year, Madison and I have been treating Fall as the official start of whiskey season, which also feels like an autumnal thing. So, to ease you into Fall this year, I bring you Whiskey Cake.
What I liked most about this recipe is that it started “1/4 cup of whiskey, plus more for you.” I couldn’t not make it after that. I do feel a little bit weird about the fact that I’m going to bring it into the office on a Monday morning, but the alcohol burns off, right?
To make this cake, start by creaming the butter and sugar on medium speed of a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides, add the eggs, and beat to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Add the dry ingredients to the batter and beat until combined.
Then beat in the milk, until smooth and liquidy.
Add the molasses and baking soda and beat for another minute on medium speed.
In a separate bowl, toss the raisins and chopped pecans with about 2 tablespoons o flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter while baking. Add the raisins and pecans to the batter, and stir to combine.
Add the whiskey and stir to incorporate.
Pour the batter into an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, sprayed liberally with cooking spray. Bake at 300°F for about 1 3/4 hours, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
You’ll notice my artsy attempts to get the whiskey bottle in the picture. Turns out Eagle Rare is a very tall bottle, which makes photographs next to cakes difficult. Doesn’t change that this is a delicious baked good, should definitely be served with coffee (or ice cream), and will keep basically as long as you want it to wrapped in tin foil in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Whiskey Cake
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup flour + 2 tablespoons, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup whiskey
Directions:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to batter and beat to combine.
- Beat in the milk until smooth.
- Add molasses and baking soda and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, toss the raisins and pecans with 2 tablespoons of flour to coat. Add to batter and stir in with a rubber spatula to distribute.
- Add the whiskey, and stir to incorporate.
- Pour batter into an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 300°F for 1 3/4 hours, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
