It was recently my brother’s GOLDEN birthday, which of course called for an even more exciting cake than usual. When asked what he wanted, he said something inspired by an Old Fashioned cocktail, so I went to work trying to pull something together. The result was: orange whiskey cake, whiskey bitters cherry preserves, and a whiskey buttercream. And, pretty unanimously, everyone in my family said it was one of the best cakes I’ve made. Perhaps there was some recency bias in those declarations, but… I do think it was pretty darn good!
The other thing my brother requested was gold leaf, in honor of it being his golden birthday. Turns out, gold leaf is a bit harder to manipulate and decorate with than I thought. But, it still had a nice effect in the decoration. Add some golden candles, and we were really on theme!!
The only other thin about this cake is that it was… incredibly tender. Tender to a fault almost. It certainly did not interfere with the taste, but it did cause some issue with structural integrity. Each slice was pretty crumbly, and the morning after serving, the cake had toppled (see below).
However… it was still delicious. I might just leave out the whiskey soak next time, as that may have pushed it over the edge of moistness. Or perhaps, it could be made as a sheet or Bundt cake that doesn’t require so many layers. But regardless of whether you slice or scoop the cake, taste is all that really matters!
My favorite part of the cake was the cherry bitters preserves. They were really tasty, very unique, and I want to figure out some other way to use them.
I was also surprised how strong the flavors were, considering there’s only about 1/2 cup of whiskey in this whole cake (cake, preserves, and frosting included). But it was consistent throughout, not too strong and not too subtle.
So… Happy Golden Birthday to my brother, and cheers to figuring out a way to turn the best cocktail into a cake!
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PinIngredients
1 recipe Whiskey Orange Cake (recipe below)
1 recipe Whiskey Bitter Cherry Preserves (recipe below)
1 recipe Whiskey Buttercream (recipe below)
Whiskey Soak:
- 2 tablespoons whiskey
- 1/2 tablespoon bitters
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Mix together the ingredients for the soak and set aside.
- Gently remove cooled cake from pan and remove parchment paper. Cut out three 6-inch layers using a 6-inch cake ring. You can do this by getting two whole layers and then two halves.
- Place a 6-inch cake ring on a cake board or plate. Line the inside of the cake ring with a sheet of acetate. Place the two half pieces of cake at the bottom. Press down the cake firmly. If there are any gaps, use extra cake scraps to fill in the holes and press down very firmly to make one even layer.
Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the whiskey soak over the first cake layer. Add a few tablespoons of the buttercream and spread into one layer. Then, layer on half of the cherry preserves and spread out. - Add another layer of cake and press down firmly. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the soak over the cake layer. Add a few tablespoons of buttercream and spread into one layer. Then, spread out the rest of the cherry preserves into another layer.
- Add final cake layer and press down firmly. Add some more buttercream, and then place cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
- Once it’s set, you can take it out of the fridge and remove the cake ring and acetate. Then, you can frost the sides and decorate as desired.
- Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
- Zest of 1/2 an orange
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup whiskey
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a quarter sheet pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, orange zest, whiskey, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Mix until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before assembling
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whiskey
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a bowl of an electric mixer add butter. Mix on medium high speed till creamy.
- While the mixer is running slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
- Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, slowly stream in the whiskey, and keep beating. Once all the whiskey is added, add the salt, and keep beating until light and fluffy.
Notes
Adapted from Nutmeg Nanny
Ingredients
- 2 cups (320g) red cherries, pitted and quartered (frozen or fresh)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon whiskey
- 1 teaspoon Angostura bitters
Instructions
- Combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, water, and whiskey in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.
- Use a potato masher or a wooden spoon to crush the cherries just a bit to release the juices and break them up a bit.
- Let the mixture simmer until thickened and glossy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, whisk in the bitters and cool completely before using.