Give Carrot Cake A Boozy Boost With A Trip To Your Liquor Cabinet

From springtime garden parties to Easter gatherings or luxurious brunches, nothing satisfies like a slice of carrot cake. Traditional carrot cake comprises shaved carrots, raisins (regular or golden), eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and butter for a rich, lush, spiced bite, all blanketed by a layer of moist cream cheese frosting. But, tradition can only carry the intrepid modern home baker so far. Enter: bourbon, one of our favorite ingredients for elevating carrot cake, here at Tasting Table. The dark liquor's complex, caramelized flavor instantly creates a dimensional juxtaposition to carrot cake's signature sweet-tangy frosting and earthy, baking-spiced batter.

To incorporate this flavorful spirit into your next carrot cake, simply soak the raisins in a generous splash of bourbon before adding them into your batter. About a ⅓ cup of bourbon is the right amount per ¾ cup of golden raisins. This easy extra step imparts a burst of robust bourbon flavor — think: notes of vanilla, toffee, and spice – in every raisin that's dotted throughout the cake. Pro tip: Microwaving the bourbon and raisins for a minute or so helps speed up the absorption. From there, the spiked fruit can be stirred into your wet cake batter, pre-bake. As for which popular bottle to select, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is our go-to bourbon for baking.

Don't love raisins? Another way to incorporate that bold bourbon flavor into your carrot cake recipe is to add a spirited splash directly into the wet ingredients. One or two tablespoons of bourbon is a solid jumping-off point for a 8- or 9-inch round cake, but as always, feel free to adjust to taste. This boozy batter tip would perform fabulously with our orangey carrot cake recipe or our carrot cake cupcakes – neither of which include raisins, but would make fabulous, playful candidates for a toasty spoonful.

For an extra pop of flavor, you could also add a dash of bourbon into your cream cheese frosting as icing on the cake. One tablespoon of liquor for every 8-ounce package of cream cheese is enough to impart noticeable flavor without overdoing the booziness or impacting your frosting's texture. For step-by-step directions, take a cue from our classic cream cheese frosting recipe, which comes together in just 10 minutes.

To garnish, top that bourbon-spiked carrot cake with a layer of oven-toasted pecan halves. Those lightly-charred pecans will provide an interesting textural crunch, while complementing the roasted, nutty undertones of the bourbon. To serve, this bourbon carrot cake could follow an Easter ham dinner, or make a potluck crowd-pleaser any time of year. Paired with a cup of hot coffee and some sweet-savory red flannel hash, it would deliver an impressive, hearty brunch the next morning, too.