Christmas Whiskey Cake


 

Ingredients
For the Cake : For the Glaze:
  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 1 small pack of instant vanilla pudding
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1 cup Whiskey (purists may want to use Irish Whiskey)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup (4 ½ ounces) walnuts (coarsley ground or crushed)*
    		•
  • 1 stick butter (¼ pound)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • 1 cup Whiskey, or to taste
    		•
    * You may wish to use poppy seeds instead of walnuts. If so, you can either add them as a dry ingredient, or soak them so that they expand. This can also allow them to take on additional flavor – such as vanilla or whiskey (depending on what you choose to soak them in). This is something you’ll want to play with on your own.

     

    Preheat oven to 325º. Lightly grease and flour a Bundt-style pan. Blend together cake and pudding mixes (the easiest choice is to use a bowl for a stand-up mixer). Add in milk, oil, and whiskey. Beat in eggs one at a time ( if a mixer is used, just add them to the batter while the mixer is running), and scape down the sides of the bowl to ensure an even batter. Stir in the walnuts (or poppy seeds). Turn the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 325º for about 1½ hours, or until lightly brown and done.

    Meanwhile, prepare glaze. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add sugar, water, and one Tablespoon whiskey. Bring to a light boil; simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. This is intended to cook the sugar enough to make it decrystalize. It should thicken slightly, but not become solid (though we will be adding more liquid, so there isn’t much jeopardy of that). Let the mix cool for 3 to 10 minutes. Stir in the rest of the whiskey.

    When the cake is done, do not remove it from the pan. Remove it from the oven and while the cake is still pour the glaze over the cake (while the cake is still in the pan). Let it cool for at least an hour. Then, flip it right-side-up (since it sits in the pan upside-down). You may choose to flip it again in another hour or so. The goal is to get the glaze to soak throughout the cake while making sure it doesn’t leave the top or bottom too gooey.

    The cake should be left to mellow for 12 hours, but you can serve it earlier, if you so desire. If not being server, the cake should be stored upside-down in the pan, and kept covered. If you are storing it for a long period of time (it will stay fresh for at least a week), turn the cake about every two days to distribute the whiskey evenly through the cake.

    Enjoy!