Original Kentucky Whiskey Cake

Original Kentucky Whiskey Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 157).

One of the best cakes I made during the holidays was this one. I had my doubts at first - I had never heard of wrapping a cake in a bourbon-soaked handkerchief before - but since starting this blog almost ten years ago (!), I am still coming across unusual techniques in Maida's recipes.

I first saw this recipe in Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts and in that book, it fails to give the baking time. It is reprinted in Maida Heatter's Cakes which does - it is 300 degrees. There is also a "Kentucky Cake" as well as several whiskey cakes so it gets a bit confusing - this is the Original Kentucky Whiskey Cake.

I used both dark and golden raisins and I soaked them in the bourbon one day in advance. She says to use a jar with a tight lid but I just put them in a bowl wrapped in plastic. You can also soak the raisins up to one week in advance. 

This is a cake to think about ahead of time - in addition to soaking the raisins, it needs to sit for a few days after it is finished.

4 1/2 cups dark and light (or all dark) raisins
1 cup bourbon
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tsp. powdered nutmeg (or 1 fresh nutmeg)
2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs, separated
5 cups pecan halves

Soak the raisins in the bourbon  a day (or week) before baking the cake.

Preheat the oven to 300. Use a 10x4 inch tub pan (either a one-piece or two-piece pan is fine). Butter or spray the pan and line the bottom with parchment - butter it as well and dust with fine bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 tsp. of salt and set aside.

Beat the butter until softened and add the nutmeg and 1 3/4 cup of sugar (reserving 1/4). Beat for 5 minutes until creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat for a few minutes. 

Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients, beating only until mixed. 

Mix in half of the raisins and the bourbon that was not absorbed. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the remaining raisins and the remaining dry ingredients until mixed.

Stir in the nuts.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the reserved 1/4 tsp. of salt until the hold a shape. Add the remaining sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks are achieved.

Fold in 1/4 of the whites with a large spatula. Fold in the remaining whites.

Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 2 1/2 hours but begin checking with a tester around the 2 hour mark. If the cake begins to darken too much during the last hour of baking, cover loosely with foil.

Remove from the oven and let it stand for 30 minutes. Invert it on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few days or freeze. You can also wrap it in a napkin that has been soaked with bourbon or stuff a piece of cheesecloth in the center hole, wrap in plastic wrap, and let it age at room temperature.

Yum

Key West Rum Cake

 
Key West Rum Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 37).

Well, this did not turn out to be one  of the most attractive cakes but oh my gosh, is it good! I made it almost two weeks ago, and it is still divine, the remainder wrapped in plastic wrap. If we didn't have a hundred other desserts lying about, I'm sure it would have been long gone. It is still moist but then again, I suppose it should be with almost 1/2 cup of rum soaked into it. 

The cake is also known as "Pirate's Cake". It is similar to a pound cake. After it has baked, you drench it with 2/3 cup of rum. The rum and 2 cups of pecans make the cake very heavy.  I slightly under baked the bake which probably made it even moister but it was done. It didn't slice well though and was a tad messy. A fork (or spoon!) was definitely needed. Now we are just pinching off pieces of it. One bite will satisfy any sweet craving. The combination of the chocolate with the rum and lime juice mixture is divine.

I used a Bundt pan for this but a tube pan might work even better. She says to use a tube pan and I'm not sure why I didn't do that.

Cake

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups toasted pecans

Rum Syrup

1/2 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light rum
1 TBS. lime juice

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter or spray a large tube pan (13-14 cup capacity) and dust with bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt both the semi-sweet and the unsweetened chocolate in a double-boiler over hot water. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft and add the vanilla and almond extracts. 

Add the sugar...

Add the eggs, one at a time, until mixed.

Add the sifted dry ingredients on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Remove one cup of the batter and place it in a separate bowl -

To this batter, add the baking soda -

and the melted chocolate - mix well

Using a spoon, place dollops of the batter you just mixed into the prepared pan -

Smooth it out with the back of the spoon -

Now, return to the remaining batter and add the pecans to it -

Spread the second batter over the chocolate batter and smooth it out -

Bake for 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean from the center. 

While the cake is baking, prepare the rum syrup:

Stir the water and sugar in a saucepan, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. Let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely. Then stir in the rum and the lime juice.

When the cake is done, leave it in the pan and brush the hot syrup over the cake until it is all absorbed.

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and remove it from the pan while it is still warm.

Cool completely before cutting.

Petites Trianons

Petites Trianons
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 119.


I thought this recipe sounded awfully familiar when I was making them and then a light bulb went off - Katharine Hepburn's Brownies.  I've made Katharine's brownies many times and they have always been wonderful. I compared the two recipes side by side and the only notable difference was that this recipe has 1 cup of flour while Katharine's only have 1/4 cup and one cup of nuts. When these were finished, however, they were not as good - very bland. It must be that the full cup of flour plays a big part in the overall taste and texture. These were also a bit dry and I probably baked them too long. Maida says 28 minutes exactly so I would take that with a grain of salt. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with these.

On the plus side, they are very easy to make with only a few ingredients -

Makes 16 squares or 12-14 bars

4 oz. unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 inch square fan with foil and lightly spray or butter.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Stir in the sugar...

and the vanilla.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.

The book fails to mention what to do with the flour but I would assume that you add it now.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake. They should remain moist in the center.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then invert it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Cut into small squares. They can be frozen or stored in an airtight container.

A Baker's Dozen of Maida Heatter recipes for the holidays

My intentions were to post this list of past recipes in time for Thanksgiving. Well, you know how that goes...

So, if you are thinking about making something different for Christmas or New Year's (or whenever), here are some suggestions. There are a great number of recipes throughout Maida's books that are traditionally served at Christmas, from all over the world. And there are quite a number that I haven't attempted yet (such as Stollen, which I wanted to do this year). This weekend I plan to make the Kentucky Whiskey Cake.

The following list of recipes are ones that I have made over the years and some, more than once. They are all good!

Black Forest Cherry Torte - If you're in the mood to impress with a big cake, this one might be the ticket. I love Black Forest cake but I know some people don't like the kirsch flavor. This is a time-consuming cake to make so I did it in stages. Now that I think of it, I've only made this cake once, but then again, I like to try different recipes. If someone requested it, I would definitely go with Maida's recipe. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies - I made these for the first time last year and thought they were fantastic.  I tried to limit myself to one per night but would usually end up eating more than that. In a word, they are addictive. The dough is thick and smooth and very easy to work with. The cookies are crisp yet soft and chewy on the inside. The chocolate flavor is intense, especially if you use Dutch-process cocoa.

Texas Fruitcake -  I was a late convert to fruitcake and I have Maida to thank for introducing me to making it. I've tried a few of her recipes and I think this is my favorite. First of all, it is so beautiful. I think it looks like stained glass. Pearl's Southhampton Fruitcake (called the "classic fruitcake" is also very good. Fruitcakes are time-consuming and expensive to make but so worth it. It really pays to plan ahead!

Kathy's Cranberry Loaf - This is very much like a fruitcake and a reader suggested that the nuts and fruits could be reduced by half to make it more like a cake. I have not tried that but I enjoyed it the way it is written. The orange flavoring is particularly nice. With the cranberries (which can be either fresh or frozen), it might be more of a Thanksgiving recipe. Either way, it is quite nice. 

Haleakala Cake - When my family got together for the holidays, there would always be a coconut cake, either made by my mother or one of my aunts (I don't think any of my uncles baked! ha). When I made this cake a few years ago, I thought to myself that it was the best. I don't suppose it is your traditional coconut cake, what with a pineapple filling, but it is a lovely cake and so pretty!

Moosehead Gingerbread - A reader of the blog requested this recipe and I'm so glad she did. It is delicious! Maida Heatter got the recipe from a fishing guide at Moosehead Lake, near the Canadian border. There are several other gingerbread recipes that I haven't tried yet, namely the Mary Washington recipe. I have tried Gingerbread Muffins and they are quite good also. 

Moravian Wafers - Like gingerbread, molasses is the star ingredient in these cookies. Talk about addictive, I can't just eat one. These are like the cookies we used to buy in tins at Christmas. These keep well and make a nice gift. They are excellent with a cup of coffee.

Carrot Cake - Like Coconut Cake, Carrot Cake was a staple at holiday dinners and it was my father's favorite cake. The recipe in the Gourmet Cookbook has long been my favorite but this one is equally good. It calls for brown sugar in addition to white (always a good thing) as well as raisins and cocoa powder. The cake is very moist and dense. The icing is heavenly (and identical to the recipe in Gourmet).

Macadamia Shortbread Biscotti -  I must make more biscotti and someone just recommended a Maida recipe ("Biscotti Cioccolato") that I haven't made before. Maida has a large number of biscotti recipes. The entire first chapter in Brand New Book of Great Cookies is devoted to it. Barbara's Milk Chocolate Biscotti is wonderful but I think I remember this one because I made it around New Year's and I remember we had friends over and they raved about it. 

Christmas Brownies - The "Christmasy" ingredient in these brownies is the candied fruit. They are very thin, very moist and very delicious. The recipe only makes about sixteen brownies so you might want to double it. These were a tasty surprise.

Christmas Fruitcake Bars -  If you haven't the time or inclination to make a fruitcake, these are the next best thing. Very easy and festive looking! You can use a variety of candied fruits or whatever you like best.

Pecan Squares Americana - Do you want to try something different from the basic pecan pie? This is one of the most popular recipes on the site. It is a bit time consuming but you will be rewarded with the results and your friends and family will thank you.  

 
Swedish Jelly Cookies - A shortbread-like cookie with an apricot filling. These are Michael's favorite cookies.  The recipe requires a bit of swiftness and I always enlist a helping hand to get them rolled up before the dough cracks. They are lovely cookies.