Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (2024)

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Carrot cake liqueur is a delicious after dinner drink infused with sugar and spice and everything nice. It’s easy to craft and perfect for homemade gifts!

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (1)

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (3)

We’ve been making liqueurs for quite a while now, so it’s surprising that this homemade carrot cake liqueur is the first to hit the blog! To date, we’ve made limoncello, gin, cherry brandy, homemade Kahlua and even a wild raspberry liqueur. In a clean alcohol base like vodka or rum, the flavors pop so it’s a great way to preserve seasonal produce, herbs or freshly roasted coffee.

In this case, the winter season is perfect for making carrot liqueur! We all know that carrots are cold tolerant but did you know they survive the icy temps by converting some of their starch to sugar? It’s a win for us because winter carrots are sweeter than their summer counterparts. Perfect for an after dinner drink, wouldn’t you say?

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (4)

This carrot cake liqueur is also one of the quickest I’ve made. It only takes 10 minutes to load the concoction into a jar and there’s a relatively short infusion time. I tested the recipe at one, two and three week infusions and I’d say there isn’t much difference in flavor (good news if you’re in a rush) although the batch that steeped for three weeks was the most colorful.

I’ll say that making the liqueur and eagerly shaking the jar day by day is the fun part. What follows is a tedious process of filtering out all those yummy bits of carrot and spice. I’ll admit that this takes patience. There’s a point about halfway through where you consider eating your liqueur like soup, chunks and all! But the finer you filter the liquor the less chance you’ll have carrot sediment in the bottom of your bottles.

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (5)

If you have no interest in individually bottling the carrot cake liqueur (and who could blame you, this stuff begs to be poured), you don’t have to filter as much, just give the liqueur a good shake before serving. The tiny particles of carrot are so small they can really only be seen after they settle to the bottom, kind of like a giant orange snow globe of deliciousness.

If your plan is to serve this as a dinner party aperitif, use a fine reusable coffee filter you don’t need to bother with paper coffee filters.

Our recipe makes a small batch, about 18-20 ounces of liqueur, enough for a good dinner party, but it’s very easy to make in larger batches too. Just make sure that whatever jar you use for infusing has room at the top so you can shake or at least swirl the ingredients every now and then.

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (6)

For Christmas, we made eight batches which filled a dozen 375ml bottles. It’s a lovely gift size and quite elegant when you attach a custom tag with gold threaded baker’s twine! The Fiskars tag maker made this last task super easy and continued the the made-with-love motif.

You’re likely to have leftover ingredients. These holiday recipes will also spice up your holiday season:

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (7)Apple Cinnamon Whiskey Smash via Hunger Thirst Play
Smooth, refined 10-year aged rye whiskey meets enhanced fall flavors in this balanced New England take on the whiskey smash featuring WhistlePig 10-Year Straight Rye Whiskey.

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (8)Mulled Wine via Foodal
With holiday music in the air, the gift of mulled wine mix in a jar alongside a few special bottles of red is the best way to bring the joy of the season to someone you care for.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
We like to make our homemade vanilla extract the old fashioned way. No additives, just two simple ingredients and time. Your patience will be rewarded with the most deliciously fragrant baked goods you’ve ever made. Make sure to prepare an extra batch for gifts!

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (10)

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (11)

Carrot Cake Liqueur

Making homemade liqueurs is one of my favorite pastimes. It's a great was to preserve the flavors of fresh produce and an easy endeavor. It just takes patience while you wait for your liqueur to infuse! This carrot cake vodka takes less time than the average liqueur, so in as little as a week, you could be serving this delicious drink to friends!

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Beverage, co*cktail

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Infusing time: 14 days d

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 18 1-oz servings

Calories: 95kcal

Author: Charity Beth Long

Ingredients

Supplies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons chopped golden raisins
  • 1 allspice berry
  • 1 whole clove
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cups 80 proof vodka

Instructions

  • Combine all the liqueur ingredients in a quart sized jar and cover tightly with a lid.

  • Let the liqueur infuse for 1-3 weeks, shaking the jar every couple of days.

  • Over a large bowl strain the liqueur through a sieve.

  • Wring the leftover solids through cheesecloth. You want every drop of liquor!

  • Now run the liquor through the finest sieve you have. A reusable coffee filter works great.

  • At this point the liquid will be very orange. You can serve it this way, but over time the tiny particles of carrot will separate and settle on the bottom.

  • If you prefer a clearer liqueur, filter again through paper coffee filters. This is a lesson in patience as the carrot particles will quickly clog the filters. For this step, I clean my coffee brewer parts and carafe and use the coffee maker to my advantage. I add about 1/2 a cup of liqueur directly to the filter and let gravity do it's thing. (Do not turn on the coffee maker!)

  • Store your liqueur in a nice bottle or decanter.

Notes

  • You'll want to make more than one batch because it's great for holiday gifting!
  • Clip top jars are my favorite for infusing liquors. But they also make great storage containers for soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2376IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it turned out for you! Scroll down to leave a comment below.

Love after dinner drinks? Make sure to see all our co*cktail recipes!

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Blueberry Whiskey Buck
Tennessee whiskey, blueberries, lemon and ginger beer make up this refreshing Blueberry Whiskey Buck. It’s icy, sweet and spicy and ready in minutes.


Cucumber co*cktailWith hot peppers and savory Thai basil, this drink is cool and refreshing, with a nice, slow jalapeno burn at the finish.

Homemade Carrot Cake Liqueur -Vintage Kitty co*cktail Hour Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a secret ingredient for cake? ›

Mayonnaise: The Hidden Gem in Cake Recipes

This unexpected addition can take your cake recipes to a whole new level. To incorporate mayonnaise into your cake batter, simply add a couple of tablespoons to the mix. The result? A tender and moist cake that will have everyone asking for seconds.

Does carrot cake taste better the next day? ›

Carrot cake usually tastes better the next day, so it's a great recipe to make ahead of time. Simply keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

How to make boxed cake taste homemade? ›

8 Ways To Make Boxed Cake Mix Taste Homemade
  1. Swap Oil for Melted Butter.
  2. Exchange Water for Dairy.
  3. Enhance With Extracts.
  4. Incorporate Sour Cream or Mayo.
  5. Add Nuts.
  6. Make Homemade Frosting.
  7. Layer With Fillings.
  8. Turn it into a Poke Cake.
Apr 12, 2024

Which 2 ingredients help the cake to rise? ›

These are the key ingredients that make a cake rise. There are two types of leavening agents, chemical (baking soda and baking powder) and biological (yeast).

What ingredient makes cake Fluffy? ›

Cakes and pastries are fluffy and light in nature due to the presence of baking soda in it. When baking soda is combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid, it becomes activated. Upon activation, Carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked products to rise and become light and fluffy.

Why not use butter in carrot cake? ›

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

Should I refrigerate carrot cake before frosting? ›

That's right, you won't be frosting your cake at room temperature; a chilled cake is essential before applying any frosting. "This step is the most important.

How do you keep carrot cake moist overnight? ›

How do you store leftover cake so it doesn't dry out? you should keep the carrot cake in the refrigerator in a plastic bag to prevent air from coming in;it will remain fresh and moist,just be sure to keep it at room temperature.

What are the 7 rules for baking perfect cake? ›

Seven rules for baking a perfect cake
  1. Always grease the pan and line with parchment. It's insurance that your cake will slide out cleanly after cooling.
  2. Allow the oven to fully preheat first. ...
  3. Bake in the centre of the oven (unless otherwise specified) ...
  4. Bake in the size of pan specified. ...
  5. No substitutions.
May 16, 2023

What makes a cake dense and not fluffy? ›

There's a big chance your butter and sugar will over-cream, meaning the butter will trap more air than it should. As the batter bakes, that extra air will deflate and leave you with an overly dense cake. It's all science! For best results, cream butter and sugar together for about 1-2 minutes.

How do you make your cake taste like it came from a bakery? ›

Step 1: Look at the directions on the cake mix. Step 2: Add one more egg (or add 2 if you want it to be very rich). Step 3: Use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount. Step 4: Instead of water, use whole milk.

Does box cake taste better with milk or water? ›

Use milk instead of water

Most box cake recipes will tell you to add water to the mix. Instead, try adding milk using the same proportions. This will make the cake richer and creamier because it ups the fat content. You can even use buttermilk here for a pleasant tang.

How many extra eggs to add to cake mix? ›

Most cake mixes call for two to three eggs. Just one more egg will add extra moisture, fat, and a little protein, which means the cake will be softer and less likely to overbake and dry out in the oven.

What is the most important ingredient in a cake? ›

Flour is perhaps the most important ingredient in a cake mix, as it creates the basic structure of the entire cake. A major component of flour is gluten, which is a protein that provides a way for the cake to bind to itself.

What is your best baking secret? ›

Combine ingredients as gently as possible without overmixing. Creamed butter and sugar should be pale and fluffy, never yellow and gritty. Butter temperature is a vital detail that should not be overlooked. Don't open the oven door until goods are done baking.

What is mystery cake made of? ›

To make it, start by combining tomato soup and baking soda together in a bowl. This will help neutralize the acidic taste of the canned ingredient. Next, beat together sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Mix in the tomato soup mixture, then stir in flour and raisins.

What are the optional ingredients in cake making? ›

Optional ingredients like baking powder and fruits are also mentioned. Ingredients are classified by their functions as structure builders (flour, eggs, milk), tenderizers (fat, sugar, baking powder), or moistenizers (milk, egg).

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