Make this Christmas season merrier with these delicious alcohol cake recipes.From the Vatican to Bethlehem, people around the world are gearing up for Christmas, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This occasion, in other words, is an annual celebration that’s known to usher in happy times and spread cheer, bringing families together.
While there are various traditions involved, baking a cake induced with alcohol is really common and popular. Families soak dry fruits and berries in alcohol (mainly rum) around a month in advance so that there is a fair bit to get the spirit soaring with every bite. But it’s perfectly fine if you’ve forgotten to do so and still want a slice of some boozy sugar rush this Holiday Season.
In the spirit of the season and to enhance the joyful energy of the holiday, we bring you five delicious alcohol cake recipes that will not only be a great addition to year-end festivities, but surely impress your guests as well. Give them a try and have a merry Christmas.
ALMOND TIPSY CAKE
(By Sanjay Kumar Kasley Demi Chef De Partie from The Ashok)
Try out this delicious cake recipe by By Sanjay Kumar Kasley Demi Chef De Partie from The Ashok.Ingredients
200ml — Beer
100g — Refined flour
70g — Almond flour
60g — Cocoa powder
115g — Butter
200g — Brown sugar
2 — Eggs
¼ tsp — Baking powder
For Icing
60g — Icing sugar
75g — Cocoa powder
150g — Butter
2 tbsp — Kahlua liqueur
200g — Dark chocolate
100g — Cream
10g — Almonds
Method
For the Sponge
* Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
* With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat the butter or shortening at medium speed until it is smooth and creamy.
* Add the sugar and beat at medium speed for eight to ten minutes or until it is light and fluffy.
* Add the eggs one at a time, creaming after each.
* Combine the refined flour, baking powder, almond flour and cocoa powder together.
* Add about one-fourth of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not over-stir or you may reduce the entrapped air in the creamed mixture.
* Add about one-third of the beer and stir them in.
* Repeat with the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients until all the ingredients are added. You should end by adding the dry ingredients.
*Place in baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to cool.
For the Butter Cream
* In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it is smooth, about 1 minute.
* Add the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl and beat until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat the frosting for an additional 2 minutes.
For the Chocolate Truffle Icing
* Heat the fresh cream in a broad non-stick pan on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously.
* Switch off the flame, add the chocolate and Kahlua Liqueur mix well till the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain. Keep aside to cool for 2 minutes.
* Slice the chocolate sponge cake horizontally into two equal layers.
* Place the bottom layer of the cake on a turntable or a serving plate and sprinkle half the soaking syrup evenly over it.
* Spread half of the chocolate butter cream evenly over it and sandwich it with the top layer of the sponge cake.
* Sprinkle the remaining half of the chocolate butter cream soaking syrup over it.
* Spread the remaining of the evenly over it and along the sides of the cake.
* Keep the cake in refrigerator for 10 minutes till the butter cream is set.
* Take out the cake, pour and spread the chocolate truffle icing evenly over it and along the sides of the cake.
* Garnish with grated chocolate and refrigerate for 1 hour or till set.
* Cut the cake into six equal wedges and serve chilled.
Christmas Rum Cake
(By Chef/Co-owner Simran Kochar Dhingra from Twist)
Impress your guests with this mouth-watering recipes by Simran Kochar Dhingra from Twist.Ingredients
To Soak
½ cup — Rum
1 cup — Dry fruits and nuts (combination of raisin, dark raisin, seedless dates, almonds, cashewnuts and walnut)
1 tbsp — Orange zest
For the Cake Batter
1 cup — Maida (all-purpose flour)
2 — Large eggs, at room temp
½ cup — Brown sugar
1 tsp — Honey
1 tsp — Baking powder
½ tsp — Salt
½ tsp — Cinnamon powder
¼ cup — Olive oil/vegetable oil/canola oil (or) 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
½ tsp — Nutmeg powder
Method
For Soaking
* Finely chop all the dry fruits and nuts and mix with orange zest. Take a jar or wide glass bowl. Combine rum and fruits and nuts mixture.
* Cover it well to use it next day.
* Beat brown sugar and honey using hand whisk or electric beater till smooth. Add one egg at a time and beat it again. Now, add the vegetable/olive oil and beat it.
* Sieve maida, salt, baking powder, nutmeg powder and cinnamon powder. Add flour mixture to wet mixture slowly and combine well.
* Finally add soaked fruits and nuts.
*Preheat oven to 180 degrees C for 10 minutes. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes. Take out the cake from oven, let it cool and ready to serve.
Carrot Cake
(By Chef Harangad Singh from Prankster)
This Christmas season invite some guest over and treat them with this yummy carrot cake recipe by Chef Harangad Singh from Prankster.Ingredients
130g — Oil
1 1/2 ounces (44ml) — Bailey’s Irish cream
120 g — Flour
4g — Soda
170g — Sugar
85g (3 nos) — Eggs
1g — Salt
4g — Cinnamon powder
158g — Carrots
40g — Pecan nuts
30 ml — Apple ginger tea
A pinch — Baking Soda
Method
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees C . Grease the pan from all four sides.
* Flour the inside of the pan, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.5 cups flour, the
baking powder, cinnamon powder, apple ginger tea, baking soda and salt.
* In a large bowl, whisk sugar, the oil, carrots, pecan nuts, eggs, and fresh ginger until combined.
* Add flour mixture and whisk just until smooth. Stir in carrots and scrape batter into pan.
* Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
* In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, lime zest, and 1 tbsp. lime juice until smooth. Add more lime juice (about 1 tsp.) for a thick, flowing texture. Drizzle over cake.
* Let the cake cool down, serve and enjoy with your tea/coffee.
Christmas Cake
(By Head Pastry Chef Rishab Anand from The Leela Palace)
Delight your loved ones this Christmas by making this cake by Rishab Anand from The Leela Palace.Ingredients
240g — Flour
50g — Milk powder
250g — Sugar
250g — Unsalted butter
5 — Eggs
1.5 tsp — Baking powder
½ tsp — Baking soda
500 — Soaked fruits with dark rum and brandy
50ml — Oil
1 tsp — Spice mix
1 tsp — Vanilla essence
50ml — Golden syrup
Spiced Syrup for soaking
100ml — Water
50g — Sugar
10g — Honey
50g — Rum
1/2 — Vanilla pod
2 — Star anise
1 — Cinnamon
Method
* Mix cream butter and castor sugar till fluffy. Add eggs one by one and then mix all dry ingredients together.
* Fold dry ingredients using cut and fold method and towards the end add golden syrup and oil to it.
* Grease baking mould with butter and line it with baking paper.
* Put the mix into it and bake it at 180 degrees C for 20-25 minutes.
* Make thin syrup for soaking by adding all the ingredients enlisted above and bring it to a followed by simmer for 15 minutes. When this syrup cools, add rum/brandy to it.
* Take the cake out from the oven and soak it with spiced syrup using brush (3-4 times).
Tip: Don’t over mix the cake mixture. Fold it gently to get a lighter texture.
Pannettone Cake
(By Chef Amit Sinha from L’Opera)
Treat your guests with this delicious cake recipe by Chef Amit Sinha from L’Opera.Ingredients
500g — Flour T-45
20g — Fresh yeast
150g — Castor sugar
310g — Milk
150g (3-4 nos) — Whole eggs
40g (2 nos) — Egg yolks
160g — Unsalted butter
5g — Bread improver
7g — Salt
160g — Raisins
100g — Candied orange
70g — Candied lemon
70g — Red cherries
¼ cup — Dark rum
Method
* To make sponge, take a small bowl. Pour in 60g of warm milk and add 10g yeast on it.
* Let stand until yeast has dissolved.
* Stir in 60g of the flour, cover with cling film, and let stand 30 minutes, or until doubled.
* Beat together sugar, egg yolks and whole eggs. Add to sponge and stir until well incorporated.
* Combine butter and remaining flour until crumbly. Slowly pour in egg mixture. Add in the rest of the ingredient except the fruits and beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes, until dough is elastic looking and long strands form.
* Beat in candied fruit and raisins.
* Take the dough into greased bowl, cover with cling film, and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled again, about 2 hours.
* Once proofed take out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to deflate. Divide dough into three pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and drop into prepared moulds. Let rise in a warm place until doubled again, about 2 hours.
* Heat oven to 200 degrees C. Cut an X on top of each loaf with oiled scissors/blade. Brush tops of loaves lightly with egg wash.
* After 10 minutes, lower heat to 190 degrees C. Bake for 30 more minutes; if tops get too brown, cover with foil.
* Loaves are done when a wooden skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
* Cool on wire rack.
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