A naughty old fashioned sponge cake recipe
With the excitement of Christmas over, January can often be left feeling dull in comparison. However we’ve found a cake to perk up those winter evenings and use up the left over alcohol in the cupboard this Veganuary.
This cake is a nod to the American classic cocktail; it has a lovely moist sponge and the flavours really hit the note for a winter’s evening. We prefer to use a good, smooth bourbon such as Buffalo Trace but whatever you use we’re sure it will be a hit amongst the grown-ups.
Makes One 30x17cm Traybake
Free From Gluten / Dairy
VEGAN
Contains nuts
Sponge
280ml Coconut Milk
170g Gluten Free Plain Flour
170g Almond Butter
170g Light Muscovado Sugar
115g Ground Almond
100g Maraschino Cherries (halved)
100ml Bourbon
8ml Bitters
6ml Cider Vinegar
5ml Orange Oil
4g Baking Powder
3g Bicarbonate of Soda
1.7g Xanthan gum
1tsp Salt
The drizzle and icing are optional but really pump up the naughtiness of this treat
Bourbon Drizzle
2tbsp Bourbon
2tbsp Icing Sugar
2 dashes of Bitters
Bourbon Icing
200g Icing Sugar
70ml Bourbon
1tbsp Fresh Orange Juice
2 dashes of Bitters
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 3
To make the base, mix the flour, ground almond, light muscovado sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and Xanthan gum in a food mixer.
Then pour in the coconut milk, bourbon, almond butter, bitters, cider vinegar and orange oil.
Mix this on a low speed until fully combined and then add the cherries and mix for another 30 seconds. It should be a nice smooth batter with an even spread of cherries.
Spread the batter evenly into your traybake tin and pop into the oven for 25 minutes.
For the drizzle, lightly whisk together the icing sugar, bourbon and bitters, ready for when the cake comes out of the oven.
When the cake is done it should have a golden crust, a fantastic rise, and a cocktail stick should come out cleanly.
While the cake is still warm, poke holes across the top of it and drizzle the mix over it, allowing the sponge to soak up the alcoholic goodness before setting aside to cool.
To finish with a decedent icing, whisk together the icing sugar, bourbon, fresh orange juice and bitters to make a nice icing which should pour well.
Pour this over the cake once it is fully cooled, ensuring it is completely covered and then leave to rest while the icing sets.
Storage Will keep in room temperature for up to 5 days (but ours rarely sits around beyond the day it’s made!)
Tip Serve with a glass next to an open fire to fully warm yourself this winter
