Ethel lived next door to my maternal grandparents. She'd make this boozy cake for special occasions, even weekly card nights. She gave my grandmother the coveted recipe and it has become a birthday tradition in my family ever since, no matter the age. It was perhaps a bit strange to have a whisky-infused cake for your birthday as a child — ahhhh, the ‘70s — but I didn't realize that until adulthood.
Instructions
2½ cups flour
1¾ cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup oil
1½ ounces whisky
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon turmeric, ground (optional)
Glaze
¾ cup sugar
½ cup whisky
¼ cup butter
Add the dry ingredients into a stand mixer or mixing bowl and stir together. Add the remainder of the ingredients and blend together for several minutes until the batter is smooth. You don’t need to add the turmeric for the cake to work, but it does give that golden cake look.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Pour the batter into a bundt pan. Bake for one hour on the middle rack.
While the cake is baking, make the glaze by adding the butter, sugar and whisky into a small pot and warm over medium heat until the butter and sugar have melted. Reserve.
After and hour in the oven, remove the cake and reduce the oven temperature to 250 F. Using a knife or a skewer, poke several holes into the cake. Pour about half of the glaze over the cake and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Place a plate over the top of the pan then flip it over to let the cake fall onto the plate (if it doesn’t come right out, you can gently run a knife around the outside of it to help release the sticky spots). Using a pastry brush, brush on the remainder of the glaze. Serve in slices with ice cream or whipped cream.
