Tips and tricks and alcohol?

As you can see my cake in the picture enjoyed the whiskey ;)

So I thought I would share some tips and tricks for baking and cooking today, but I just can't seem to make any come to mind!  So I went searching in the Asylum Library for some of the most popular tips and tricks I could find.  Since I am the baker I thought I would start there.

Woman's Day has 10 very great tips!  My favorite is #10-Don't forget to experiment!  You will never know if you like something or if it works if you don't try!  That goes for pretty much any area of life...

King Arthur Flour has lots of categories to pick from but what I love about them is that they have a HOTLINE!  So if you can't find answers give them a call.  I have tried it and they are great! 

Ever wonder about your cake pans?  Betty Crocker has some great tips about your choice in pans and how it can help you make the perfect cake, or maybe why your cake is a flop.

Our Asylum's Kitchen!  Wait that's us.  Yep, we are here to answer any questions you may have!

Now we get to the alcohol, because we all know that is what caught your attention in the title!  So using some of the tips you learned above, why not make a Chocolate Whiskey Cake?  This is something that I make and get A LOT of RAVE REVIEWS!!!  I will warn you that it is not the simplest of recipes like we usually share here.  This will take a lot more patience and time to make, but believe me it will be worth it, I promise!  (My tips are in parentheses.)

 

Chocolate Whiskey Cake

Rachel Ray Magazine

 

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee (Stronger the better)                     

• 1/2 cup whiskey (I prefer Jack Daniel's, but PLEASE use the whiskey you prefer to drink.  Please buy a new one**)                       

• 1 1/2 sticks  (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (don't have mini, 3/4 cup regular works too)                        

• 2 cups flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 3 large eggs plus one egg white

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (real vanilla is better if you can get it)                        

Directions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees . Butter a 10-inch springform pan, dust with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and place on a baking sheet.
2. In a saucepan, whisk together the coffee, whiskey, butter and 3/4 cup cocoa powder over low heat. Whisk in the granulated and brown sugars. Let cool (room temp).
3. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. (This will keep them from completely melting and give you chocolate bits in your cake)  
4. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. Whisk the eggs, egg white and vanilla into the cooled coffee-chocolate mixture. Whisk in the flour mixture. Fold the cocoa-dusted chocolate chips into the batter.   
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out just slightly moist, about 1 hour. Let cool. Dust with the remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder before serving (or use powdered sugar, looks amazing against the chocolate).

**Whisky gets stronger as it sits.  I have tried to use a bottle that has been sitting in my cupboard and it was way too strong.  The results are worth the new bottle!