Angie Druetta is an independent administrative/creative consultant based in Destin, FL. Her specialties are cooking, party planning, and small affair catering. This inspired liqueur-laced cake makes thoughtful gift.

“Two years ago I adapted my handed-down pound cake recipe to include liqueurs and came up with several concoctions,” she says.  I called them cordial cakes and sold them for the holidays. They were very moist and stayed fresh because of the alcohol!  Each of my concoctions has an added item such as a fruit, nut, or morsel included in the batter with a matching or complimentary liqueur drizzled around the edges after baked.  I made a Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cake with chocolate liqueur, a Peachy Keen cake with peaches and peach schnapps, a Pina Colada cake dusted with coconut and flavored with a dash of spiced rum and an amaretto/almond glazed cake.   They are baked in small foil loaf pans and the spirits are poured on them to soak in. I got the most favorable response from the ChocoPecan  the Peachy Keen and the Pina Colada Cake.”

 

ChocoPecan Cordial Cake

1 ¼ c. Butter Flavored Crisco
3 c.sugar
5 large eggs
3 c. cake flour
½ t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. milk (use skim if you prefer)
3 t. flavoring or extract – 2 t. vanilla and 1 t. almond
1/8 c. Chocolate morsels
1/8 c. Pecan Pieces (or more if preferred)
1 T. chocolate liqueur

Cream Crisco and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time and keep mixing on medium until smooth.  Add dry ingredients mixing slowly at first and then incorporate milk and flavorings beating on high until smooth.

Grease and flour 9 mini loaf pans size 5 23/32 x 3 5/16.  Fill pans leaving an inch of space at top.  Add 1/8 of a cup of chocolate chips or morsels and 1/8 of a cup of pecan pieces.  Tamp down nuts and chocolate pieces out of sight into the batter.  I use a wooden skewer for this because it doesn’t steal much batter and is less messy.  I also use the other end to check and see if the cakes are done!

Place pans on a cookie sheet large enough to hold all 9 in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven.  Make sure they are level so they won’t bake unevenly.  Baking time varies according to your oven and other circumstances but the recipe calls for 1 ½ hours.

Cakes should have a crust on top but not be overdone.  Check the center with wooden skewer or toothpick to see if batter is done all the way through.  Remove pans from oven and place on cooling rack for 30 minutes.

Drizzle your favorite chocolate liqueur around the dry edges of the cake and let sit uncovered for an hour.  Leave the cakes in the pans and cover with aluminum foil sheets until serving or giving as gifts.

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