I didn't like whisky. It was horrible, ashtray-in-your-mouth, fiery liquid that had no purpose being in my life. Until a fateful evening on the eastern shores of Loch Ness, in a small B&B where, with my aunt, we were introduced to the joys of the subtle flavours of good single malt whisky by the hotel proprietress. Our lives changed that night and we are now both huge fans of "a wee dram." That being said, the smoky Laphroaig still is, as one distillery visitor said, "like a beard growing in your throat."
I was recently enjoying a small measure of my favourite whisky by the fireside of Blossom Cottage, when I was struck by the desire to incorporate it into a cake. I ran to the kitchen and produced a small grazing plate of the flavours, namely coconut, nuts and raisins, and sampled them along side the whisky itself.
Coconut and pecans... there's a combination I know well. By the time I was about 12, my favourite birthday cake was German chocolate cake with its traditional coconut-pecan topping. Add raisins and a drop of whisky and I might just have the flavour combination I was seeking. Chocolate, although a delicious accompaniment to whisky, is not a primary flavour, however vanilla is. A moist vanilla cake with coconut-pecan-raisin-whisky topping? I think we're in business!
The vanilla cake is based on a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/new-favorite-white-layer-cake/). It is fabulously moist and tender and I will agree with Sally and say this is my new favourite white layer cake. It works well in this recipe, as it calls for egg whites and the topping calls for egg yolks (I hate waste!). The topping is my mom's recipe, the one she made for my birthday many years in a row. I've added raisins and whisky, but just eliminate those and increase the coconut slightly if you want to make a traditional German chocolate topping.
This is a naked cake, meaning there is no frosting covering the sides. It's less "pretty" than fully frosted cakes, but the flavour is mind blowing, so your friends and family ain't gonna care! My cake baked tall and flat, so I was able to split the layers to make a 4-layer cake, but two layers work just as well. Slather the topping on thick and if you have any leftover, try it on ice cream!
VANILLA WHISKY CAKE
makes 2 mini-cakes
THE CAKE
1 cup cake flour, sifted, spooned and levelled*
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup (70g) unsalted butter at room temperature
⅔ cup (140g) white sugar
2 large egg whites at room temperature (keep 1 yolk for topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ tablespoons sour cream at room temperature
Slightly less than ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
* if you don’t have cake flour, see how to make a substitute using corn flour at Sally’s Baking Addiction (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cake-flour-substitute/)
Preheat oven to 175C (350F). Grease one 8" round cake pan and line bottom with baking paper.
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
Beat butter on medium-high until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Add sugar and cream together for 2-3 minutes on high speed. Add egg whites and continue to beat on high, occasionally stopping to scrape sides, until fully blended. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.
Mix in dry ingredients on low-medium until just incorporated. Scrape sides. Slowly drizzle in milk while mixing on low. Scrape sides once and mix again for no more than 30 seconds.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully. Remove baking paper.
WHISKY COCONUT FROSTING
⅓ cup white sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk
1 egg yolk
2½ tablespoons (40g) butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup pecans (lightly toasted for more flavour)
¼ cup chopped raisins
2 teaspoons whisky* (optional)
*I used Bunnahabhain 12 year old, but any non-peaty whisky (i.e. it doesn’t smell of smoke) should work. You could also try rum or rum flavouring, but be careful to add in small amounts until you reach the strength of flavour you desire.
In a small saucepan combine sugar, milk, egg yolk and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, coconut, pecans, raisins and whisky.
ASSEMBLY
Place cake on a cutting board and create mini-cake layers by cutting 4 circles. Depending on the size of your cutter, you will need to go quite close to the edge to get the four. If your cake hasn't baked flat, use a bread knife to level the tops of the layers. (If it is tall enough, you can cut the layers horizontally to make a 4-layer cake like mine.) Keep the offcuts handy to eat with extra topping!
Place one layer, bottom side down, on a plate and cover the top with a thick layer of topping. Bring the topping right to the edges of the cake. It won’t squeeze out much and as this is a naked cake, you want it to be showing. Top with a second layer, top-side up and cover with another thick layer of topping. Repeat with other two layers to make a second cake.
Store in fridge, but serve at room temperature.
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