Anyone have a recipe for a sturdy cake mix cake with hennessy added? TIA

You can add Hennessy to any cake.

Thanks scp1127.

I didn't mean that to be just a one-liner, but I use it in my yellow cake to taste. I also use vanilla. It could be anything from a box mix to a pound cake. It is my favorite in yellows, even over Makers Mark, which is second.

No harm, scp1127 lol. How much do you add to get a good flavor without it being too much?

I am going to show a little naivety around here and ask What is Hennesy?

and would love to know how do you know how much to add w/o it being too much?

Hennessy is a top shelf brand of cognac, which is an aged brandy. As it ages, it gets sweeter and smoother. I use it like I use vanilla, a little heavy-handed. On a two layer cake, torted, 9 inches, I probably use a tablespoon, maybe more. Test your batter and remember that it will be more mellow in the baked cake, and even more mellow after the first day. It has nothing to do with the alcohol evaporation, it just mellows like vanilla. I still add vanilla, but in a supporting role. We can eat my yellow cake with no frosting, and the Hennessy is a big part of that.

Thanks again scp1127!

I should add that brandys and some cognacs will not be anywhere near as good. Possibly Remy Martin VSOP, but I can't think of another. You want the sweet ones. I never drink, but I bartended in a high end establishment where I had access to many great alcohols. I would smell them as I opened the bottle. Later that came in handy because the smell when you open the bottle is very similar to the taste you get in baked goods. I rarely bake with alcohol unless I use it as an "extract". My main way of infusing is brushing it on and adding it to buttercreams and fillings.

this is the recipe posted on the hennesey site
Almond and Hennessy Cognac Cake recipe:
1¼ cups refined flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup butter
1 cup icing sugar
3 eggs
2-3 drops almond essence
¼ cup almond powder
2 tbsp Hennessy Cognac
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line an eight inch cake tin. Sieve refined flour, salt and baking powder together twice. Take butter and sugar in a pan and cream till it is light and fluffy. Beat eggs with almond essence till light and fluffy. Mix it into the butter and sugar mixture, little at a time, and blend well. Lightly fold in the flour mixture. Add almond powder and Hennessy Cognac and mix. Pour batter into the prepared tin. Bake it in the preheated oven at 180°C for forty-five minutes or till done. Check the cake using a skewer or a knife. If it comes out clean the cake it done. Remove from oven and cool. Cut into slices and serve.

Thanks Margiep! I was looking for a cake mix recipe though.

Courvoisier is the other sweet cognac, but my favorite for baking is the Hennessy.

oops
you can leave out the walnuts

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package moist white cake mix
1/2 cup chopped walnuts-optional
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup whiskey




Directions
1. Mix cake batter as directed on box.
2. Bake cake as directed on box
3. Before taking cake out of oven, combine butter, sugar, and whiskey. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove syrup from heat, and pour over cake. Continue baking cake for 5 more minutes. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
If using henessey, add 2 tablespoons to the batter and make the syrup with slghtly less henessey.
You can also do this with a yellow cake mix or you can try this one:

Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 1/3 Cups Water
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup of Hennessy

Pan Size/Bake Time:
Bundt®: 38-43 minutes

Prep: PREHEAT oven to 350°F for metal or glass pans, 325°F for dark or coated pans*. GREASE sides and bottom of each pan with shortening. FLOUR lightly. (Use baking cups for cupcakes).

Mix: BLEND dry mix, water, oil, Hennessy and eggs in large bowl at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds). BEAT at medium speed for 2 minutes. POUR batter in pans and bake immediately.

Bake: BAKE following chart below. Add 3-5 minutes to bake time for dark or coated pans. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
After you remove the cake from the oven pour another 1/2 cup of Hennessy over the hot cake and let it cool.


COOL in pan for 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
When you frost the cake add a little Hennessy to the frosting as well, but not to much.

Thank you Margiep!

scp1127: thanks so much for a quick lesson on Brandys to use. I have some questions. Anyway, You said you used a tablespoon of brandy in your batter as well as the vanilla the recipe called for or do you put in less vanilla? You also mentioned that you brush the brandy on. Do you do both. I appreciate very much your help and answering my questions w/o making me feel dumb. Also you said that you put some in your icing too, but you could eat your cake w/o icing. Would you mind giving me a little more detail like when you use what? Like if you use it as an extract in your cake batter do you brush it on the cake also and use icing or what. I am sorry for so many questions. they just keep rolling out of my mind. Thanks so much for your patience. One more question. Can you give me a ball park idea of what the Hennessy cost and how much that is for?

Margiep: thank you for your recipes and input also.

margiep: I went back and looked at the part where you said oops you can leave out the walnuts, but the alcohol in that recipe is whiskey. Is that another recipe? I am a little confused. Thanks for clarifying.

Jules, yes, less vanilla... a supporting role. On the yellow cake, I just add it to the batter. For other alcohols, I brush, add to frostings, etc. Cognacs and whiskeys are great for batters and adding to ganache. These have higher alcohol content and are a little overpowering if they were brushed. Whiskey is also excellent in cheesecakes and sauces such as bread pudding sauce. It can also flavor a sabayon. I prefer liqueurs for brushing and frostings. They are sweet and the most mild in flavor of the liqueurs.

Thank you so much. You are very very helpful and a wonderful friend. I feel like most everyone I have met has been a friend online via cc even if I have never got to meet them.