Tipsy Pound Cake

What comes to mind when you see the title of this cake? Happy days and a little tipsy?  Right on!

This recipe calls for 1 full cup of good brandy or rum or whiskey or any liqueur of your choice. Since I have this bottle of whiskey, god knows how long its been sitting in my cupboard, I decided to use it.  It's a good bottle of whiskey (I think!)..lol..my family don't drink alcohol.  We usually use it in cooking or baking and even that is hardly ever.  So, I really can't tell the difference if you give me a bottle of cheap liqueur or an expensive one but I have a feeling that this whiskey, is decently a good one.  Hmm..I've forgotten how this bottle of whiskey landed in my cupboard...!  and the VSOP, Contreau, Red Label, Charleston Follies (don't even know what this is), Hennesey and Rum (from my sister)..wow, that's a whole lot of liqueur for non-drinkers!

I followed the recipe and put in 1 full cup and I tell you, you can smell and taste the whiskey in full force! Especially to non-drinkers, we are more sensitive towards it.  Pay attention to the time stated in the recipe when baking this cake.  I didn't. And the result? Under baked in the center.  When the cake turned golden, I had a skewer in to test the doneness and I thought it's done after 40 mins cos the skewer came out clean. Don't be fooled.  When I cut a slice, the center is still moist.  I gave a slice to my hubby and the moment he took a bite, he can taste the strong bittersweet of the whiskey and almost immediately he felt a little tipsy!  You can see in the picture below that the center is a little wet. So in the oven it went again and baked for another 40 mins.

See the difference after it's fully baked.  From this picture, it may seem to be dry to you but it's totally the opposite. The cake is very dense and heavy but extremely moist.  I like the texture and it's full of flavor.  The butter and the liqueur blends well and the aroma of the whiskey is just heavenly.  This cake can be kept up to a week at room temperature and if wrap in plastic and foil, can freeze up to 6 months.

I like this cake but the next time I bake this, I'll reduce the liqueur to 1/4 cup!  My sisters came over the day I baked this and when they tasted it, they asked me how much of whiskey I put in. They were shocked at the quantity and said "so much! what a waste for a good bottle of whiskey"...lol..not that I'm gonna drink it straight but I do agree with them. 

Tipsy Pound Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar (I used 2 cups as I think 3 cups is too sweet. Remember the liqueur that you use is sweetened as well)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

6 large eggs at room temperature

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup liqueur or alcoholic spirit such as rum, Irish cream liqueur, whiskey, limoncello or brandy (I used whiskey and instead of 1 cup, I will use 1/4 cup when I next do this as I think 1 cup is a bit too strong for me)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

2. Add eggs, butter, liqueur and shortening to flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat for 1 minute until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula, beat on high speed for 2 mins.

3. spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 1/2 hours (about 1 hour and 40 mins in a light colored pan) or until done.  Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 mins then invert cake onto rack to cool.

You can drizzle the cake with drippy icing of your choice but I think on its own is good enough.
Bottoms Up!