Chocolate Cake Batter Cocktail

Chocolate milk in a fun glass? Nope, it's a chocolate cake batter cocktail!

As a little one growing up in my mother's kitchen, I spent a good chunk of my childhood measuring flour and sugar, mixing dough with a wooden spoon, spilling flour and sugar, and generally getting in my mom's way. We would always use these yellow and green Tupperware measuring cups and this beautiful cream-colored ceramic mixing bowl with pink and blue trim, which was passed down from my great-grandmother.

Learning to bake in my mom's kitchen!

Like any kid, however, I knew the best part about baking was licking the spoon once our cakes and cookies were in the oven. (These were the days before we all bit our nails over salmonella poisoning possibilities.) Now, as an adult, I'm able to resist the temptation to eat cake batter right out of the bowl. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying a good chocolate cake batter cocktail.

That's right...I said chocolate cake batter cocktail. It's love at first sip. Taking my inspiration from the Cake Batter Martini at How Sweet It Is, I mixed together a lovely little concoction made of rum, creme de cacao, heavy whipping cream, Godiva chocolate liqueur, and--you guessed it--UV Cake vodka! Pour it all into a dainty martini glass rimmed with cream cheese frosting and nonpareils, and you've got the answer to all of your sinful cravings.


Now, I must warn you--as sweet and cutesy as this liquid indulgence seems, it packs a heavy punch. Slurping and chugging are not advised, and please enjoy in moderation. Feel free to mix and match your flavorings, too--spiced rum with buttercream frosting and chocolate sprinkles, for instance. Here's my recipe so you can try it out and decide what your tastebuds like best:

Chocolate Cake Batter Cocktail

1 oz. rum
1 1/2 oz. UV Cake vodka
1 1/2 oz. creme de cacao
1/2 oz. Godiva chocolate liqueur
1 oz. heavy whipping cream
Frosting of your choice
Rainbow sprinkles or nonpareils

Generously fill cocktail glass with ice. Pour ice into cocktail shaker. Dab frosting around rim of glass using a small spoon or spatula. Pour sprinkles onto a plate or shallow dish and press frosted glass rim into sprinkles. Gently press sprinkles with your finger to ensure they stick. Pour remaining ingredients into cocktail shaker and shake together until the outside of the shaker condenses. Strain into cocktail glass.

Boozey Baking: Kahlua-Vodka Cake (Black Russian Cake)

I have been in one big baking frenzy as of late, and it all began with one of the sweetest introductions I've ever had: someone recommended that Steve and I try the delectable new UV Cake. Manufactured by Minneapolis' own Phillips Distilling Company, UV Cake is a brand new white cake-flavored vodka that is as sensational as it is "sinsational." It smells just like a sweet piece of birthday treat--and tastes even better. As soon as I took a sip, I knew I had to bake with it.

UV Cake Vodka on the left and Kahlua on the right

Now here was the problem: being neither a connoisseur of premium liquors nor a heavy drinker, I'd never before done any boozey baking! My recipe collection was bare!

After receiving encouragement from my hubby and my friend Alysha over at loVeLySh, I started searching for a good vodka cake recipe online. There were recipes for White Russian Cakes and Harvey Wallbanger Cakes; there were recipes for fruit-flavored vodkas and for mixing vodka with chocolate chips. But my baking instincts said to keep looking, to find the perfect mix of ingredients that would place the UV Cake on center stage without masking the vodka's innate yumminess. That's when I found this outstanding little number from cdkitchen.com. Bellissimo!

This cake truly made me happy while I was baking it. (And no, it's not because I was drinking and baking!) It was so easy to prepare, I had little to no interruptions, and the ingredients were all close at hand. Besides, there's something simply wonderful about a heated glaze or frosting--like a rich, silky ganache for cupcake dipping or a mudslide of molten sugar cascading over a pan of crumbly cake doughnuts--that you simply don't achieve by beating powdered sugar and butter together for cold, fluffy cake topping.

The delicious

As the contents of my icing pot cooked and caramelized, their scrumptious scent wafted into the air, conjuring fond memories of old-time candy shops in places like Stillwater and Des Moines, watching mustachioed candymakers prepare belts of taffy and knock apart slabs of peanut brittle. I closed my eyes, placed a tiny sample of the icing on my tongue, and immediately tasted a harmonius blend of buttery toffee and spiked sugar that just blew me away.

The final verdict? Outstanding! While this cake may be a little strong for children and non-drinkers, it is beautifully soft, spongy, and a nice accompaniment to coffee or tea. Just as the cake and icing go together remarkably, so do the Kahlua and UV Cake (although any good vodka should do the trick). About a week later, the cake has kept surprisingly well in the fridge, so best of all, I can continue to share it with family and friends around me.