Orange Cornmeal Cake
SPIKED
GOODS
Using booze to spice up
traditional baking BY AMANDA BURHOP
Y
esterday I had my fi rst sip of booze
in almost a year. It wasn’t even
hard liquor, just white wine. But
the second it rushed through my throat,
warming and burning as it went, I was
instantly reminded of why I don’t drink.
I have no tolerance, and I’m not all that
interested in building one. But over the
course of my transition into a culinary
domestic goddess, I’ve found that the
enticing substance can be used for good.
Beyond Jell-O shooters, that college
party staple, alcohol is used in a number
of baking recipes that are ideal for those
who prefer fl avor over intoxication. As in
cooking, many recipes call for a hint of
wine while others take a bolder approach
with the use of heavy liquors like cognac
or bourbon. There’s not enough alcohol in
these recipes to produce even a mild buzz,
but they challenge the traditionally sweet
baked good by offering a milder, almost
bitter aftertaste that’s sure to please even
sweet-tooth skeptics. Here are just two of
my favorite booze-injected baking recipes:
ORANGE
CORNMEAL CAKE
Wondering what I was doing with the white
wine mentioned earlier? This citrus cake, based
on a recipe from Everyday Baking (www.pbs.
org/everydayfood/baking), calls for a dry white
wine to fuse with the bitterness of grated orange
peel. Much like a coffee cake, this one is topped
with a crusty, sweet outer shell that encases a
moist, wine-infused center.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used
Hinman Vineyards)
1 1/4 cup fl our
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 cup sugar
After preheating the oven to 375 degrees,
coat an 8 inch cake pan with olive oil. The pan
www.eugeneweekly.com
also needs to be lined with wax paper, which
you then coat with another layer of olive oil.
In a large bowl, mix the oil, eggs, sugar
and wine. Then add the fl our, cornmeal,
baking powder and salt. Grate the orange
over the bowl, mixing occasionally. I also
used lemon zest for added tartness.
Once it’s mixed, pour batter into the pan
and coat with 1/4 cup white sugar.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, and let cool in
pan for 20 more minutes. Don’t forget about the
wax paper when you’re ready to eat. The cake
is too good to let waxy paper get in the way.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE
Maybe I never found an affi nity for
straight booze because of my love for all
things chocolate. We can only have so many
vices, right? The truffl e has many good
qualities, among them its nice presentation
and small size. Also, you can fl avor them
any way you please. Choosing an alcohol
to accompany your chocolate is a personal
decision. Because I’m devoted to the sweet,
savory punch of chocolate, my fi rst choice
is Kahlua, but an assortment of wines,
rum, brandy or cognac have also been
recommended with this recipe, which is
based on one from www.joyofbaking.com
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces of semisweet or bitter-
sweet chocolate. There’s no sugar
added in this recipe, so go semi-
sweet if you don’t like bitter
chocolate.
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. alcohol of your choosing
Chop chocolate into small segments
and place in stainless steel bowl.
Bring cream and butter to a boil, and then
pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let it sit
for fi ve minutes while the chocolate softens.
Whisk mixture gently and add alcohol. The
mixture needs to cool in the refrigerator for
several hours. Once solid, the chocolate can
be rolled into balls and coated. I recommend
sifting a sweet cocoa powder onto the
truffl es. Return the truffl es to the fridge and
cool until fi rm. Enjoy!
■
March 13, 2008
SWIZZLE 5