Welcome back Martina, nice to hear you had a great time...I'll be leaving for South Africa in 2 weeks, can't wait!!!

Here are 3 Whiskey Cakes to choose from:

Jack Daniel's Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
5 eggs -- slightly beaten
1/2 c milk
1/2 c Jack Daniel's whiskey
1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine -- melted
1 16 oz. bag butterscotch chips
1 c walnuts -- optional

Sift cake mix and pudding together. Add eggs, milk, whiskey, and melted butter or margarine. (Beat long and hard, if doing by hand.) Add butterscotch chips and walnuts, reserving 1/4 c. of each. Pour batter into a prepared 9x13 inch pan, and sprinkle remaining chips and nuts over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

You can use regular or black walnuts...or neither. The cake is good with or without them. I use an electric mixer...just being careful to not overbeat.

And, this cake just gets better and better after a few days.

Jameson's Irish Whiskey Cake
Recipe By : San Francisco Chronicle
Serving Size : 12

1 c Seedless Raisins
1 1/2 c Cold Water
1/2 c Shortening
1/2 c Sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 c Flour
2 ts Baking Powder
1 t Baking Soda
3/4 ts Ground Cloves
3/4 ts Nutmeg
1 d Allspice
1/2 ts Salt
1 c Walnuts -- chopped
1/4 c Whiskey
-----ICING-----
1/4 c Butter -- softened
3 1/2 c Powdered Sugar
1 Egg -- beaten
1/4 c Whiskey

Place raisins in a small saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly, reserving 3/4 cup liquid; cool. Beat shortening until soft; gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until blended.

Sift flour with baking powder and soda, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Fold into shortening alternately with reserved liquid. Stir in raisins, walnuts and whiskey. Pour into two 8" round cake pans, which have been greased and lined with waxed paper. Bake in a 350¯F oven for 30-35 minutes until cakes test done; cool slightly, turn out of pans and cool completely.

Beat together icing ingredients until fluffy. Spread between cake layers and over top and sides of cake.

Kentucky Bourbon Cake~~~
Recipe By : Lars Larsen

3/4 lb butter
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar -- firmly packed
6 eggs
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mace
2 cups bourbon
3 1/2 cups (1 lb) pecns -- chopped

Cream butter and approx. half of the sugar, in another bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugars until light and fluffy (several minutes at least).
Combine the butter and egg mixtures. Sift the dry ingredients and add them along with the whiskey a little at a time to the egg/butter mixture.
Finally stir pecans into the batter. Bake in a slow oven in a large (10 inch) tube type pan for appox 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
The recipe now says to wrap the cool cake in Al foil and keep in the fridge for a week or two to let the flavors "meld", however everyone around my
house usually consumes it in the following few days. This cake when baked still contains a substantial amount of whiskey! Its rather surprizing. I assume the vapors get trapped in the cake or whatever. It tastes great (really great) with a blob of sweetened whipped cream (with vanilla of course).

BTW this makes a heck of a large cake. I have made little cakes in those minature loaf pans to give as Xmas gifts and it worked great, dividing the
recipe in half.

Enjoy,
Ana