Tipsy Cake with Mascarpone Topping
Author: Nicole
Ingredients
Cake:
  • 1-1/4 cups golden raisins
  • ½ cup plus 6 tablespoons bourbon
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ¾ cup pecan pieces
  • ½ cup mini-chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
Topping:
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons mild honey
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9”x5” loaf pan.
  2. In a small saucepan, bring golden raisins and ½ cup of bourbon to a boil over medium-low heat. Immediately remove from heat and let raisins steep until cooled completely. (This can be done a few hours in advance.)
  3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and salt together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl before each addition.
  5. Sift flour, baking soda and nutmeg over the batter and fold a few times.
  6. Add raisins (with bourbon), pecan pieces and mini-chocolate chips.
  7. Fold batter together thoroughly.
  8. Spoon batter into loaf pan (it will be thick).
  9. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean.
  10. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes.
  11. Turn cake out onto a rack and brush (top and sides) with remaining 6 tablespoons bourbon.
  12. Let cake cool completely before slicing.
  13. Before serving whisk mascarpone cheese, honey and vanilla in a small bowl.
  14. Top each slice with a generous dollop of topping.
Notes
* Recipe works well with all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour (such as Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour).
* You can use a gold/amber or dark rum in place of bourbon to ensure it's 100% gluten-free.
* Cake freezes well.
* Topping can be made a day in advance.
Recipe by Riegl Palate at https://www.rieglpalate.com/tipsy-cake-with-mascarpone-topping/