Bourbon Spice Cake

I found the recipe for this cake last weekend, when searching for baked goods with bourbon in them. Nick and I do love our bourbon, and I recently made chocolate chip cookies with bourbon in them, so I thought I would try some other things. Also, I needed a recipe that used a lot of eggs, since we are not able to keep up with our CSA's supply of eggs to us.

The cake turned out very well, if you are expecting something that tastes like spice bread when you bite into it. That might be because I decided not to frost it (to work with and enhance the spice bread feeling), or it might be because it has a lot of spices in it, and is a denser consistency than a lot of cakes. Whatever the case, it looks lovely and tastes lovely.

You know that I am a big fan working with what I have in my kitchen if I can, and I didn't have any dates, so I used dried apricots. And, I was able to use up 4 eggs in just one recipe!

As seems to be the case in most recipes I find, you mix the wet ingredients, and the dry, separately and then combine them.

The batter was a little soupy, and there was a ton of it!

The cake rose so much that it was over the top edge of the pan. I had to cut off the bottom, rounded layer (I did about a 1/2 inch, but could've done more), so I could invert it onto a plate evenly. That's OK though, because it meant we got to eat cake right away!

And, voila! Doesn't that look nice? I think the only thing I would've done differently, was frost it. Like I said, I decided to work with the bread like taste and texture, and eat it as such, but a nice cream cheese frosting might've made a big difference. I just never got around to making one before it was eaten.

Redefinition

When I started this blog, it was to give myself a hobby and a release of sorts - an outlet for stress and emotion, since I was going through rough times. For the first few months, it really served its purpose. I had something fun, relaxing and new to turn to when all I wanted to do was sit on the couch. A funny thing happened though; I started to live up to my blog's name and became truly passionate about baking. I learned it is not scary or intimidating, and not as tedious and strict as people make it out to be. I learned new techniques, I learned how dough (in many instances) should look and feel, and I learned that I not only like the products I produce, I like the feeling of well being that comes over me while baking. I also like the joy myself and others get from eating my baked goods. Baking is not just therapy or a crutch anymore, it is something I truly enjoy. Perhaps, though, in that way it is therapy, just as good time with loved ones is a sort of therapy.

From this passion for baking grew a passion for cooking as well. Whereas Nick used to do all of the cooking in our house, I've started doing some, and have been excited about doing it. I have found myself getting excited about planning meals, and liking preparing them. I enjoy reading through blogs or recipe books and indexes to find the next dinner or dessert recipe, and enjoy making up my own. How many of you can say you are passionate about baking and cooking? I am glad I can! I am finally starting to find things that I really am passionate about, and I am realizing that I need to do those things to find more joy in life, because it is not going to come to me unless I bring it.

One thing I am not so passionate about, however, is blogging. I like the idea of chronicling my baking adventures, but sometimes I feel like the blogging is a chore. I feel like if I don't post about something within a week, it will be old news. I worry I am not going to be funny or fun to read. I feel like I should not just tell about my adventures, but make them so everyone can't wait to read them. And, I feel like I should have more readers than the few friends of mine who read it because I bug them too. For those reasons, I haven't blogged as much lately as I could have, though I have been baking and cooking. Weeks ago, we tried our hand at chicken mole enchiladas, I made a Cajun meatloaf 2 weeks ago, peach 4 grain pancakes last Saturday, a Bourbon spice cake on Sunday, etc. And, over Labor Day weekend Nick and I learned how to can (we made red onion relish, dilly beans, pickled jalapenos and peach jam)! However, I failed to post anything about any of it.

This blog is not supposed to be for recognition or fame, it is supposed to be about the baking; at first, as a therapy tool - to keep me "checking in", and now to chronicle and share recipes that I've enjoyed. So, I am going to make this promise to you, and more importantly, to myself: I will continue baking (and cooking) - learning about it and having fun with it, and I will blog just to post and share, not for any other reason. Therefore, I think it will be more enjoyable for all.

As always, thanks for reading!