So, have you ever wondered whether you REALLY need to follow those ridiculous inane instructions in a recipe? “Spray this.” “Flour that.” Mix this before that or the ALL THE THINGS WILL GO WRONG.
Well, I’m sort of ashamed to say I always thought these things were a bit of a crock. Obviously buttering a pan makes it easier to get the cake out, but it doesn’t feel super necessary. Even as a food writer and recipe creator, I got away for a long time with just sort of faking my way through things. Measuring to a “good enough” standard, substituting ingredients because I didn’t have the right thing, making pretty much ANYthing gluten free, and considering almost every cake a “dump cake.” A long history of blind stupid luck that had nothing to do with actual baking or cooking science, slowly led me to believe that I could do what I wanted in the kitchen with no consequences and no flubs.
As you can plainly see, my lucky streak seems to be over!
This photo was not doctored and I did not “style” this cake to look like this. As a matter of fact, below is the original post written for this wonderfully soft, amazingly easy whiskey cake that was supposed to come out looking brown and beautiful and ready for an adorable dusting of powdered sugar—preferably floating in the air of my perfect photo. Lol.
Instead, I learned that food science is real. There IS a reason you should butter or spray your pans, and if you forget, you really should take the time to pour the batter back into the bowl and re-grease the pan.
I learned the hard way. If you’re lucky like me, your friends and family will have a good attitude about eating an ugly cake so long as it tastes ok. As a food writer, my friends and family are always warned that there’s a chance we’ll have to order pizza if a new recipe is a bust. I’ve only had to do that once or twice, but my fam has also been subject to ugly or half-cocked food.
So the moral of the story is, follow all the instructions in a recipe or risk the consequences. Can I say I’ll ALWAYS follow all the rules? Probably not. But I can say, if I continue to skip steps, I’ll know more that I really am taking a risk—and you should too.
In the meantime, the cake and post below will keep your dinners tasty—even if a bit ugly.
Quick and Delicious Whiskey Cake
I grew up on this cake. It’s one of those recipes that my mom finally asked “are you going to write it down this time?” because I had asked her for the recipe so many times. It’s one of those recipes that’s perfect for a last minute pot luck because it’s made with cake mix and a few other ingredients so it’s totally easy.
As most of you know, I don’t love mixes. I like to make stuff from scratch so I know exactly what goes into it–especially as a gluten free girl. I feel I already ingest enough chemicals and such just because of my allergy (mostly because I refuse to give up completely on baked goods).
But this cake is different. Not only is it just downright nostalgic for me, but there’s also an argument for having a few of these quick and delicious recipes in life–things you can just pull out of your back pocket on any night you get invited to a last minute BBQ (or, if you’re like me, HAVING the last minute BBQ).
My mom used to make this in a standard bunt pan, but I’m completely in love with the new patterned bunts from Williams Sonoma and the like. They make great quick cakes truly striking. Plus, you really can’t beat the gold-surfaced pans for non-stick qualities.
(Don’t tell, but make sure to keep a slice of this cake for a fabulous breakfast with your coffee.)
Happy Cooking!
- 1 Yellow Cake Mix (I use the Gluten Free one)
- 1 Large Package Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
- ½ - 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
- ¾ Cup Oil
- ¾ Cup Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Whiskey
- 3 Eggs
- Preheat Oven to 350.
- Mix all ingredients in bowl until smooth.
- Grease bunt pan well.
- Pour mixture into pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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