She asked if I do liquor cupcakes...I say yes. Then she says she wants grey goose or ciroc or a mixture of both. That's when I get confused. I then say:

- As far as the vodka for the cupcakes, there are a few options that I can see
1. In the batter
2. Brushed on top of the cupcake, under the buttercream
3. Mixed in the buttercream

- Did you want a flavored vodka?

I have used bourbon and blackberry brandy in making cake/cupcakes, I havent used vodka before but Im sure it wont be a problem. I just want to make sure I give you what you ask for!

She says:
Vodka in the Batter
Vodka Flavor Ciroc or Grey Goose or a mixture of both

I would LOVE to hear what you guys think of this... and I'm assuming I replace the water or liquid in the recipe for the vodka? Do I need to change the amount?

(a mixture of both? really? lol)

Thanks so much!
cakelady11215

I would replace about 1/3 of the water with vodka. Keep the same amount of liquid but vodka doesnt have the best flavot if you put too much

I bake with liquor and liqueurs, and often add them to buttercreams... Yes, replace the liquid in the recipe, and for buttercream just add a tablespoon or two to taste. I don't know how using the vodkas together would taste, but I wouldn't purchase a bottle of each unless I had other uses for them.

I would only replace about 2 Tablespoons of the liquid, especially with Grey Goose. Someone has excellent taste!

However, isn't Vodka supposed to be flavorless to a degree, unless it is flavored? So there is really no taste impacted by doing this. I have had chocolate cakes with brandy and it does give a nice flavor. I just don't know if Vodka will leave behind any essence of flavor to affect the cake.

You are charging extra for Grey Goose, right?

I use cake mixes I usually do about 3/4ths cup alcohol and then the rest is the liquid I would normally use. You don't want to use all alcohol because you could end up with a dry cake.

I'm not sure how much of the vodka taste they are going to have though.

Aren't you instructed to add vodka or gin to food coloring to aid in drying time when used as a paint and because there's no aftertaste. I bake with pink champagne and almost all of it bakes off so I have to add some to the top of each tier to bump up the flavor. With Vodka, you could tell her it's in there and she'll never know because it won't add to the taste. Can you do a sample to prove it to her? Maybe she's trying to "do in" someone at the wedding who is an AA member

I always thought vodka, in it's best form, was "flavorless". I imagine it would bake out. ? In the buttercream, maybe... in the cake......hmmmmm? I wonder if it will actually enhance the taste. I am curious.....

Sounds to me like someone's been watching too much tv. Cupcake Wars to be exact. I agree that Vodka in the batter is going to make very little difference in taste if any. In the buttercream, it will make a difference, but I would be careful about adding too much. Vodka's not really a pleasant flavoring for sweets like brandy or rum is.

thanks all, it's really helped a lot! I was thinking it would either bake off or taste like vodka (eww!). I'll be sure to let you all know how it turns out. Thanks again!!

I guess if you add it to the batter and you have an explosion in your oven you will know you had too much.

Some customers would be very impressed with a vodka cake even if tasted just like that other cake you make... Many people liked the Emperor's new clothes, too.

I use Vodka quite often when I am baking...usually it's in a glass with OJ! Lol!

Many latin cake recipes call for vodka/rum in the batter and they also add it to the simple syrup that is poured over the cake to make it moist. Maybe that is what she was thinking about.

Try Vanilla Vodka...I love that (in a glass with OJ too LOL), but it might impart some flavor.

I have a vanilla cognac cake recipe somewhere, and a kahlua white russian recipe, and I've done tequila sunrise cupcakes and vanilla maple whiskey (yum!) irish cream, and pink champagne, and I can always taste the liquor. or maybe that's cause I'm usually having a bit for the batter, a bit for me...

Speaking of Vodka...I think I'll have some now!

It's funny, ChRiStY_71, I seem to do the same with Wine when I bake...hold the OJ of course
I like to think it helps me forget about my back and shoulder hurting while doing all that detail work haha
Oh well, today I have to do 4 doz cupcakes with fondant logos for my horse trainer...he has an open barn party to cater at our big horse show tomorrow so I'm giving him some samples first (I will be doing 400 cupcakes with logos on them for next weekend so I'm giving him a little sampling)

Haha! Wow...good luck with your cupcakes! Do you figure in the cost of your wine when you price out your cakes? Lol!

Alcohol does NOT bake out. Just watch foodology on the cooking channel and they prove it again and again.

IT evaporates and dries faster from painting dusts rather than water- that's why we use it for that.

Vodka does have flavor - otherwise I wouldn't care if I were served it - it's nasty!! Go ahead and put it in some cola and have some unsuspecting someone taste it - watch their face curl up.

But what the heck do I know?

I have the wine when I'm baking too! Can't have more than a half glass, or I'll be having a "too tired to finish tonight" attitude. HOWEVER, I took my favorite bottle of wine, a nice DRY red-Apothic Red actually and made cupcakes with them to try it out. I replaced all of the water for wine, and you could taste it! But I too thought the alcohol "baked out"-bad mom for me cause I let my teen girls try them-oops, won't do that again now-and they didn't like the "twang" the wine gave. But everyone-over 21, who I let try them really loved them! Of course I added stuff to to enhance the good flavors in the wine, but just vodka and no flavoings like a coctail-I don't think that would be good unless you liked vodka straight.

ChRiStY_71 - you are too funny! (and my kinda girl!)

Cakesnglass She said she wanted it in the batter but maybe you are right about the simple syrup method and she just doesnt knowheck, Im the cake decorator and I dont know! lol. I will try it in the batter and if I don't taste it at all then I'll try some in the simple syrup mixture (on one...just in case...). Sigh...this is going to be interesting!

thanks again all!!

ps...dont think i can post a link here but i saw a hilarious video on youtube that you will all love...do a search for "My Drunk Kitchen Ep. 4: Not Easy, Bake Oven".... it's the only one ive watched so far but i think she's got a few. again, it's HILARIOUS!!

haha maybe I DO need to include the cost of wine in my cupcake prices!!! I have been working on these logo cupcakes for days...I have 112 fondant logos to do and 200 cupcakes. I have a picture of the horse cupcakes under my photos...they're super cute but so tedious and the farm logo...that's even worse because it's a blue diamond with the farm name piped in royal icing. The second farm (that THANK GOD I'm only doing a dozen for and charging an arm and a leg for!) is a diamond with two horses trotting in opposite directions with the full farm name underneath. Ugh...back to work!

The last batch of cupcakes I made was a rich chocolate and I put 1/4-1/2 cup of a nice cab. They were wonderful! I am all for booze cupcakes as long as the flavors work.
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oh no...i hope you guys see this. if not, i will repost. so the recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk and i replaced 1/2 cup with vodka. i dont taste the vodka and they are a little drier than i'd like. i still have lots of batter left, if i add more vodka, do i need to add anything else? what about the dryness, throw in some more oil? i am so bad with this!! please help, i need your expertise! thanks much...

See also:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-721052-.html

HTH

maybe add some sourcream to the batter? to make it more moist