Tipsy cake

A tipsy cake is a sweet dessert cake made of "fresh sponge cakes soaked in good sherry and good brandy".Party-giving on Every Scale, London. n.d. (1880), p. 16, as "looked on as a second-class sweet" when part of a wedding breakfast, but recommended. It is a variety of the English trifle. It is  popular in the American South. Tipsy cake is often served as a dessert or at church socials and neighbourhood gatherings. It was a dessert known by most people by the mid 19th century.

In the mid-18th century, tipsy cake was brought to the American colonies by the British. The recipe at that time included cake or biscuits, alcohol, and custard put together.

A way of making the cake combines leftover pound and/or angel food cake, fruit jam, one ounce whiskey, five ounces sherry, and warm vanilla pie filling (or custard). All the ingredients except the pie filling are mixed together. Then the warm pie filling/custard is poured on it and then the dish is chilled. Whipped cream is poured onto the dish just before it is served.

Related pages
 Trifle
 Cuisine of the Southern United States
 Cassata
 List of custard desserts

References

Further reading


Category:Cakes