I tried Cabin Fever Maple Whisky at the New Hampshire maple weekend a couple of years ago. I am usually not a whisky drinker, but I really liked it. And being a baker, my mind immediately started going to all the different ways it could be used in cakes and pies. At first I had a hard time finding it in stores (and my state of MA did not until recently allow for shipping of alcohol to homes). But luckily, what started as a small batch, locally-available spirit has now expanded and can be found at many liquor stores.
So here is my first recipe developed using Cabin Fever Maple Whisky. Cabin Fever Cake is a maple spice coffee cake infused with the whisky, both in the cake and also brushed on after baking. It is the perfect warm, dense treat to have with a cup of coffee on a cold winter night.
Cabin Fever Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar (if like your coffee cake less sweet, use 3/4 cup instead)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on your taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup Cabin Fever Maple Whisky (plus another 1/3 cup to brush on later)
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir well to mix. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. Take off of the heat and add in the maple syrup and 1/4 cup whisky. Stir well. Set aside to cool a bit.
In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs and stir the sour cream into them. Very gradually pour the syrup/butter mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly as you add it. (Don't pour it in all at once because the liquid is still warm and you don't want to cook the eggs - pour just a little in at first.)
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined and there are no more clumps of flour. Pour into the greased pan and bake about 40-45 minutes (I start checking it after 35 minutes).
Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature. With a pastry brush, brush on a generous amount of Cabin Fever Whisky all over the cake (I used 1/3 cup, but feel free to add more). You can eat it right away, but I like to let it sit for a couple of hours (or cover with plastic wrap and leave it overnight) so that the whisky mellows and the flavors meld together.
Enjoy!