As you well know, I love to mess with already perfectly wonderful recipes just for the heck of it. And one of my favorite things to do is experiment with adding liquor or liqueur to dessert items such as cake batter, pie filling, frosting, glaze, whipped cream, etc. etc.
So while contemplating how to kick my cream cheese frosting recipe for Apple Cake (on this site) up a notch, I decided to add some cinnamon, because there’s cinnamon in the cake batter, and some Calvados (apple flavored brandy) because there are apples in the batter. (I’ve always excelled at stating the obvious!)
Anyway, that’s exactly what I did when I prepared the frosting for the apple cake I made for last weekend’s JazzVox pre-concert meal. And our guests told me they thought the frosting was pretty darn OK.
Note: When I use alcohol in a dessert, I usually cut down on the amount of vanilla. (If vanilla is called for, that is!)
So next time you make a cake, try enhancing the flavor of the batter and/or the frosting with a bit of spice and/or a wee dram of something from the adult beverage category. And please don’t worry about the alcohol content. Adding a tiny bit of liquor or liqueur to your frosting recipe is about the same as adding pure vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract legally has to contain at least 35% alcohol, which is basically the same proof as vodka or rum. So don’t fret about adding alcohol to your favorite frosting even if your children are going to be the primary consumers. You have undoubtedly been “spiking” their frosting since the first time they smeared it all over their face, your clothes, and the tray of their high chair! Have a great day.
- ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
- pinch salt
- 2 T. brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1½ T. liqueur – Calvados, brandy, bourbon, spiced rum, etc. (whatever flavor goes best with the ingredients in your baked goodie)
- 1 lb. powdered sugar, more or less
Beat the butter, cream cheese, salt, and brown sugar together until creamy. Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla, and liqueur. Add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
FYI: For more information about pure vanilla extract, read the January 21, 2015 article entitled Why Don’t You buy Vanilla Extract in a Liquor Store by Michael Y. Park (via Bon Appétit magazine). It’s a really well written, informative, and scary article!