How to Bake With a Lot of Booze Because Life Is Short
Alcohol has its time and place. Most of the former are with friends (although a solo wine night is dreamy), and most of the latter are in a glass or, occasionally, a pot. However, while drinking and cooking with wine is surprisingly traditional, baking with booze doesn’t get enough attention. This isn’t really new territory—many recipes call for booze—but when you’re experimenting with your own baked goods, it’s important to know the right moments to add alcohol and understand how much you can use before you go from flavorful to just nasty. Throw those glasses aside (gently) and grab your whisks, because these baking tips will inspire you to crack open.
Pour it into the dough
The easiest way to bake aromatic alcohol is to add it directly to the dough. This method will result in a more subtle alcohol flavor in the finished product because a percentage of the alcohol will evaporate during cooking. Also, since doughs vary in consistency and alcohols vary in strength (beer is the thinnest), the amount of booze you add will largely depend on the amount of dough you’re working with and the amount of alcohol you want to sample.
If your recipe calls for beer, try a rich-tasting beer like Guinness Dutch Baby . For hard spirits, combine complementary flavors, as in this Whiskey Double Chocolate Cake from Laughing Spatula. As a recommendation for mixing alcohol directly into thicker doughs like cake or brownies, you need about twice as much flour as general liquid, as too much extra moisture can change the texture and density of the dough. If you’re experimenting with an old favorite chocolate cake recipe that doesn’t usually contain whiskey, you’ll need to replace some of the milk (or hot water, or whatever) with the desired amount of alcohol. Just adding whiskey probably won’t change the texture too much, but if you want to capture unmistakable whiskey notes in every bite, adjust your other liquids accordingly.
After soaking
Many traditional dessert recipes use this method to produce delicious, full-bodied flavors, and historically, soaking a cake with rum or brandy has been one of the best ways to prevent spoilage . If you’re in the holiday spirit, Christmas fruit cake is a classic (to be honest, you’ll be just in time if you start soaking it now). But for you Christmas pudding haters, you don’t have to make a fruit cake to reap the full benefits of this technique. Make a simple syrup and when it has cooled add the alcohol of your choice – about two tablespoons of alcohol per cup of simple syrup. That’s it – you’re ready to soak. Using a brush (or using a plastic bottle ), apply the syrup to the cakes before applying the frosting. Stable muffins will absorb more syrup than tender muffins. If you notice that the syrup has been building up for more than 30 seconds, or if the cake starts to spread over your pastry brush, then it’s out. For smaller cookies or cakes, dip the tasty treat into an alcohol-soaked bowl, just like you would when making tiramisu . Be sure not to linger; Dip the cake quickly so it doesn’t soak and fall apart.
Alcohol equipment
Adding accessories to dessert is another delicious strategy for adding alcohol. Also, if you forgot the liquor in the other two methods, this is a solid plan C. This method only works if there is at least one other component in the dessert, but if there is, there are several options. Most buttercream and icing recipes contain a small amount of liquid, and you can replace some or all of it with alcohol. For liquidless recipes, such as Swiss meringue or Italian meringue buttercream, you can still add up to a third cup of liquid to four cups of frosting without breaking the emulsion.
Whipped or custard cream is also a great place to add spirits. With whipped cream, use a light hand – one tablespoon may be enough before it loses its shape. Pastry cream is more stable, contains oil and thickeners, so it can handle a little more and still be refrigerated. Always add alcohol (and this also applies to extracts) after the pastry cream is removed from the heat. This results in less evaporation and prevents some flavors from becoming bitter.
You can also make fruit compote for dessert. Not only are there endless brilliant fruit-alcohol flavor combinations, compote is essentially a healthy food! Condensed fruit compotes are an excellent filling for cakes, pies or fruit bars. They’re also incredible as toppings – think ice cream, pancakes, and waffles. Prepare fruit compote as usual and after the mixture has cooled and thickened, add one to two tablespoons of vodka to a cup of finished compote.
As with changing any recipe, if you are experimenting with adding booze, use your judgment and add a small amount first. Mix well and taste the mixture to see if you want more vigor. In the spirit of longer days and warmer sunshine, try this recipe for blueberry and limoncello compote with pancakes, pistachio ice cream, or serve on a slice of sponge cake.
Blueberry compote with limoncello
Ingredients:
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- ¼ glass of water
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 ounces limoncello
Boil the blueberries, water, and sugar in a small saucepan for about seven minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mix cold water and corn starch in a small bowl. When the mixture begins to bubble, pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring (this will prevent lumps from forming). Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and boils again. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
Add limoncello until completely dissolved.