Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (2024)

by Jillian Leslie on

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This beautifully- spiced Scotch Whiskey Cake is laced with whiskey-soaked plump raisins and tingles with all things spice.

I love serving this classic and elegant cake at an all-adult party; it’s perfect for a special occasion like a New Year’s Party; check out our New Year’s Eve printables and themes for ideas!

Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (1)

This cake is not just for whiskey lovers; not all of us like to drink whiskey, but this cake is delicious! It’s moist, filled with boozy raisins, and has a sweet, buttery flavor that is to die for.

This cake is perfect for New Year’s Eve, and here are 9 New Year’s Eve Party Ideas to help you plan out your evening.

Take time planning your ultimate New Year’s Eve Setup, and we have tons of fun New Year’s Eve-themed ideas, and supplies such as these DIY Glittered Flutes, Free Printables, and tons of themes to inspire you.

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Reasons To Love This Cake

  • Sophisticated flavors: whiskey, ginger, and buttery vanilla with a tickle of cinnamon.
  • A conversation starter: this cake will draw plenty of attention, comments, and questions about its flavor.
  • Impressive presentation: this elegant cake is beautifully laid out on a table.
  • A taste of Scotland! If you’re into Scottish culture, then you will love this authentic-feeling cake.
  • Perfect for a special occasion like New Year’s Eve or a 50th Birthday party.
  • Versatile: serve it as dessert (warm), with coffee, or as an afternoon treat.

Ingredients and Supplies

Here’s what you need to make this crowd-pleaser:

  • Raisins. These will get soaked overnight in whiskey and are the real showstoppers in this cake.
  • Butter. Choose unsalted butter if you can. Plant-based and margarine will also be perfect in this recipe.
  • Brown sugar. Goes beautifully with the butter and whiskey flavors.
  • Eggs. Have them at room temperature when you’re ready to bake. I always choose large eggs for cake baking.
  • Caster sugar. Don’t switch out for white sugar, or it will impact the cake’s texture.
  • Vanilla essence. You can also use vanilla extract or vanilla seeds if that’s what you have.
  • Greek yogurt. Plain, full-fat yogurt or buttermilk will work well in this recipe. This ingredient is responsible for the incredibly moist texture of this cake.
  • Plain flour. All-purpose is perfect; you can use gluten-free flour in this recipe and have a gluten-free cake.
  • Ground ginger. This spice will further enhance the glace ginger in the recipe.
  • Cinnamon. If you don’t have any, you can leave it out.
  • Baking powder and baking soda. The chemical raising agents in this recipe.
  • Glace ginger. Gives a lovely zing and goes beautifully with the whiskey.
  • Whiskey. You can use absolutely any whiskey for this cake. If you’re a whiskey drinker, then ensure you use your favorite brand.
  • Icing sugar. Regular powdered sugar is fine; ensure it’s sieved and lump-free.
  • Bundt tin. You’ll need to grease and flour the tin well to avoid issues getting the cake out.

How To Make This Scotch Whiskey Cake

This is a relatively simple cake to make; just follow the steps and instructions closely.

Step 1: Prepare the tin

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease your bundt tin and then lightly dust with flour. Gently knock the sides of the pan and tip any loose flour out.

Step 2: Make the cake batter

Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, then add the eggs, mixing as you add each one.

Tip in the yogurt and vanilla essence, then add flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (7)

Step 3: Adding the raisins

Your raisins would have soaked overnight in whiskey. Drain the raisins (save any excess whiskey for the drizzle) and add them to the cake mix along with the ginger pieces stirring gently.

Step 4: Baking the cake

Tip the mixture into the bundt tin and spread until the mixture is evenly distributed.

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Step 5: The Drizzle

Make the whiskey drizzle by combining the whiskey and brown sugar and stirring well.

Once the cake is cooked, leave it to cool in the pan slightly, then tip it onto a cooling wire rack.

Poke holes in the top of the cake using a skewer, and then pour the drizzle over while still warm. Allow it to cool completely.

Step 6: Make the frosting

To make the icing (frosting), put the butter into a heavy-bottomed pan and melt, then, stirring all the time, allow bubbling until it turns golden brown.

Let it cool until just warm, then mix in the icing sugar and whiskey until it forms a smooth paste.

Spoon it on top of your cake and let it drip down the sides a bit.

Tips and Substitutions

  • Although you can absolutely use a regular whiskey, you will definitely taste the flavor, and a higher quality whiskey will stand out.
  • Use unsalted butter, as it allows you to control how much salt is going into the cake.
  • If you don’t want to use whiskey or if you’re going to try another alcohol, consider rum or brandy.
  • You can add other ingredients to your cake like nuts, glace cherries, and seeds.
  • If you don’t want a thick wad of frosting, you can make a simple whiskey glaze instead of the frosting.
  • For a more decadent version, consider a whiskey ganache for this cake; it will make it extra indulgent.

FAQs

What is Scotch whiskey cake?

It’s a buttery, vanilla, and Scotch whiskey-flavored cake with a deeply rich and complex flavor.

Do I need to use real whiskey in the cake, or can I use whiskey flavoring?

You can use whiskey flavoring, but it won’t have the same flavor depth as real whiskey.

Can I make an alcohol-free version of a scotch whiskey cake?

Yes, you can substitute the whiskey with apple cider; keep in mind this will affect the overall flavor.

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Be sure to let us know if you make this cake and how it turns out. Remember to check out our inspiration pages and grab your free printables while you’re on our site.

Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (15)

Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe

A rich and buttery cake, filled with grown-up flavors like whiskey, glace ginger and cinnamon.

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Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 890kcal

Author: Jillian Tohber Leslie

Equipment

  • 1 Bundt Tin

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups raisins
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup golden caster sugar
  • 3 unit eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 TBS glace ginger
  • Scotch whiskey

For the whiskey drizzle

  • 3 TBS Scotch whiskey
  • cup brown sugar

For the frosting

  • ½ cup butter
  • 3 cups Icing sugar
  • 3 TBS Scotch whiskey

Instructions

For the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.

    Grease your bundt tin and then lightly dust with flour. Gently knock the sides of the pan and tip any loose flour out.

  • Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, then add the eggs, mixing as you add each one.

    Tip in the yogurt and vanilla essence, then add the flour, spices and baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

  • Your raisins would have soaked overnight in whiskey. Drain the raisins (save any excess whiskey for the drizzle) and add them to the cake mix along with the ginger pieces stirring gently.

  • Tip the mixture into the bundt tin and spread until the mixture is evenly distributed.

    Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Make the drizzle

  • Make the whiskey drizzle by combining the whiskey and brown sugar and stirring well.

  • Once the cake is cooked, leave to cool in the pan slightly, then tip onto a cooling wire rack.

    Poke holes in the top of the cake using a skewer, and then pour the drizzle over whilst still warm. Allow to cool completely.

Make the frosting

  • To make the icing (frosting), put the butter into a heavy-bottomed pan and melt, then, stirring all the time, allow bubbling until it turns golden brown.

    Let it cool until just warm, then mix in the icing sugar and whiskey until it forms a smooth paste.

    Spoon it on top of your cake and let it drip down the sides a bit.

Notes

A simple process of adding the wet to the dry ingredients, you’ll love how easy it is to whip up this rich tasting whiskey-flavored cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 890kcal | Carbohydrates: 134g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 81g | Vitamin A: 1068IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comment

2 comments

  • Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (16)

    Jane U wrote:

    I was all excited when I saw this was a recipe from the UK - finally a recipe NOT in cups!! Oh no!! What a disappointment! I have tried conversion tables and I even have measuring cups but recipes just don't work! How on earth do you measure a cup of butter? I have heard that in the US butter is sold in sticks and a number of sticks makes a cup! But that doesn't help us Europeans. Do you have this recipe in grams or ounces? Thanks

  • Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (17)

    Jillian L wrote:

    Sorry about that! One stick of butter in the US is 1/2 cup, so that's why it's easy for us. Converting to grams, you can use this guideline:1 stick butter is 1/2 cup or 115g2 sticks butter is 1 cup or 225gNote they are approximations, so that's why 2 sticks is 225g, not 230g. :)

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Scotch Whiskey Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does whiskey do in baking? ›

Some lessons from baking with whisky

Save the whisky for the icing and decoration: the spirit may be versatile but it's also volatile and baking it in the batter completely evaporated the taste and aroma!

How do you mix alcohol in a cake? ›

A good rule of thumb is to use the same amount of alcohol as you would use an extract. Bourbon is often aged in oak barrels, giving it a smoky vanilla flavor. Think of it like vanilla/almond extract combo, and add into pie filling, cake mix, and cookie dough.

Does whiskey bake out of cake? ›

Although the alcohol content of a whiskey cake decreases while you bake it, the cake remains an alcoholic product even after you remove it from the oven. This is why it's important to always ensure that you and others consume your whiskey cake responsibly, just as you would a glass of whiskey or a whiskey co*cktail.

How much alcohol is in a whiskey cake? ›

Each cake has no more than . 5% alcohol by volume, therefore, it is considered non-alcoholic.

Can whiskey cake get you drunk? ›

In case you're wondering, no, this cake will not get you drunk. Each serving contains a mere quarter ounce of whiskey (that's 1 1/2 teaspoons). While part of the alcohol does cook off during baking, the cake will still contain some alcohol, so keep that in mind when serving.

What is the scotch method in baking? ›

quick method of making puff pastry which produces a flaky or rough layered structure. Characterised by its use of lumps of fat called nuggets, which are added at the mixing stage. Does not ensure continuous layers of fat and can have inconsistent quality.

What whiskey is good for baking? ›

Ruffenach says she chooses which bourbon to add to her recipes based on flavor profile. “I think about sweetness versus spice,” she explains. “My go to for most of my baking is Old Forester 86 or JTS Brown [from Heaven Hill]. If I want to have a little extra spice or punch, I might use Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond.”

What not to do with whiskey? ›

Avoid Direct Sunlight

Light is the biggest enemy of whiskey, especially direct sunlight. Put a whiskey bottle in front of a big, sunny window, and before too long chemical reactions will start to degrade the liquid. Those lovely esters and other flavor compounds will be affected, and not in a good way.

Which alcohol is good for cake? ›

Baking with booze—such as bourbon, rum, port and vodka—can add additional flavor, texture and even change the consistency of many baked goods. Take pie dough for example, adding a splash of vodka produces a super flakey dough and develops less gluten in the dough than water.

How much alcohol do you put in cake batter? ›

If you're using around 3-cups of flour 1/4 cup of rum is definitely safe to use. Not knowing the recipe, and just in case there are other liquids, just adjust them to incorporate the rum so measurements stay equal. Cheers! If I just want to add aroma to the cake, I just add a small amount to the batter.

How long does alcohol last in cake? ›

No Worries, the Alcohol Burns Off During Cooking—But, Does It Really?
Time Cooked at Boiling point of alcoholApproximate Amount of Alcohol Remaining
15 minutes40 percent
30 minutes35 percent
One hour25 percent
Two hours10 percent
1 more row
Dec 2, 2019

Why is it called whiskey cake? ›

Whiskey is this cake's most consistent trait

Whiskey cake, as the name describes, is commonly baked with nuts, dried fruits, and of course some good, old-fashioned whiskey (via Rabbit Hole Distillery).

How long does it take for alcohol to bake out of a cake? ›

The longer you cook, the more alcohol cooks out, but you have to cook food for about 3 hours to fully erase all traces of alcohol. A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Data lab confirmed this and added that food baked or simmered in alcohol for 15 minutes still retains 40 percent of the alcohol.

Does Jack Daniels whiskey cake have alcohol? ›

This mouthwatering cake is made with toasted pecans and authentic Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey…a whole new way to enjoy Old No. 7. This product contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume.

Does bourbon cake have alcohol in it? ›

Even though each and every cake is made with 100% aged Kentucky bourbon for a rich nutty maple flavor, the alcohol bakes out in the baking process and there is less than . 5% alcohol in the entire cake.

Can bourbon cake get you drunk? ›

Although foods with alcohol in them can theoretically get you drunk, there's nothing to be concerned about eating a dessert that has liquor in it. The amount of alcohol found in those types of desserts, while enough to raise your blood alcohol content, isn't enough to get you completely drunk after eating it.

Is alcohol in cake alcoholic? ›

In many cases where wine or other alcohol is used in cooking or baking, all the alcohol is gone by the time it is finished. However, if you have something like a rum cake soaked in rum after preparing and before serving, or liquor filled candies, yes the alcohol can have an intoxicating effect.

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