03 Magazine: September 01, 2023

36 Magazine | Recipe
WHISKY CAKE
The Cameron men have all enjoyed
a good whisky over the years. Joe’s
grandmother Mary used to make this
rich cake, and now every year for
Joe’s birthday it’s become a tradition
to serve this up. I do joke with him
that it is the most high maintenance
cake that I make, but the extra
washing up is long forgotten when
you take your first mouthful. Best
not serve this one to the kids.
Serves 8–12
½ cup raisins
125ml whisky
200g good-quality chocolate
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
140g sugar
70g flour
70g ground almonds
Combine the raisins and whisky and
set aside to soak for a few hours. Once
you feel your raisins are drunk enough,
prepare the rest of the cake.
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan-bake.
Prepare a 20cm round tin.
Break the chocolate into small pieces
and place in a medium-sized heatproof
bowl over a pot of boiling water to melt.
Keep an eye on it and give it a stir every
now and then until melted.
As the chocolate begins to soften,
separate the eggs. Place the whites in the
cake mixer bowl with the salt, and place
the yolks in a small bowl. Use the whisk
attachment to beat the egg whites and
salt until stiff peaks begin to form.
While the egg whites are beating, add the sugar to the egg yolks and
beat with a fork.
Once the chocolate has melted, add the egg-yolk mixture in small
batches until well combined. Add the whisky-soaked raisins with any
leftover liquid. Sift in the flour and ground almonds. Fold in the egg
whites and gently combine the mixture. Pour into the prepared tin.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
before serving.
Extracted from Winter Warmers: Recipes and stories from
a New Zealand high country station by Philippa Cameron.
Photography by Lottie Hedley. RRP$50.
Published by Allen & Unwin NZ.