Whiskey Cake; Aged to Perfection

Happy happy birthday to my wonderful dad! What to get a father who has everything he could ever need? I decided to go with a fail-proof gift: whiskey. Whiskey cake with whiskey caramel glaze, a whiskey card, and of course, an actual bottle of whiskey.

My dad’s name is Mark and can you guess his favorite whiskey? Clever, I know.

We celebrated my dad’s birthday on Sunday night at a great restaurant called The Dead Fish. We had the back room all to ourselves and made the most of the restaurant by eating every dead fish on the menu.

Though this dinner was great, nothing can top my dad’s 60th birthday party last year. Let me give you a little taste of “Mark’s Motown Madness.”

I didn’t lie when I told you the Dunn family loves costume parties.

Need to make a whiskey cake for your dad’s birthday too? Even if your dad is a rum drinker, this is still the cake for you. This recipe was given to my mom from her friend Berna and has been a staple dessert in my family for a while now. I just added a little twist with the caramel-whiskey glaze, but you can also just sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.

Berna’s Chocolate Cake

*I believe this comes from a Duncan Hines cake box

• 1 package Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake mix
• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup whiskey (or water, or rum, or even tequila!)
• 4 eggs
• 1 small package of chocolate pudding (3.4-4 oz)
• 1 cup sour cream (up to 2 cups)
• 6 oz chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Set the chocolate chips aside for later. Mix all the rest of the ingredients together with the mixer for about 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake for about 50 minutes.

Caramel Whiskey Glaze

*Adapted from Cooking with Caitlin (gotta be a good site with a name like that)

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup whiskey
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt

Put sugar in a pan and let melt on med-high heat, stirring constantly. After the sugar is melted, add in the cream, whiskey, vanilla and salt. It will start to bubble, but keep whisking until it is smooth. Once smooth, take off the heat and add the whiskey. Place back on the burner at medium heat for about 1-2 more minutes. If it comes out with some sugar chunks, just put it through your sifter once while it’s still warm.

Once the bundt cake and the caramel are cooled, pour the caramel over the cake and let drizzle down the side of the cake.  You can put some caramel on the bottom of your cake stand to help the slipping and sliding during transit.

Like Grandpa, like grandson. Collared shirts and whiskey cake lovers.