One of the greatest — and most me — gifts I ever got was a cookbook called Booze Cakes.
As its name suggests, it’s cakes made with booze. Shocking, I know. It could have been just a novelty, but it actually has some great cake recipes, and ones that have clever ways of adapting classic alcoholic drinks into a cake.
Among my favorites are eggnog cupcakes. They have the eggnog ingredients in the cake, of course, but the cupcakes also have their centers cut out, and topped with a rummy eggnog pudding and a rummy whipped topping, that makes them actually resemble little cups filled with eggnog. Their tea cakes become Long Island ice tea cakes.
What I’m saying is, it’s inventive, and tasty.
Yet, even after the many years I’ve had it, I still haven’t tried them all, and I do tend to stick to my favorites. This year offers a chance to try some more. Even though, as cake, most recipes call for either a springform pan, or a pair of 9-inch pans, I figured this year is about making the most of what you have so I would give my little Le Creuset a shot.
I started easy enough, with a margarita cheesecake.
Or so, I thought.
While (spoiler alert!) the end result was still amazingly tasty and did manage to taste like both margaritas and cheesecake, the vessel was not as ideal as it seemed. I think partially because I pre-baked the crust too near the bottom of the oven but also because cast iron cooks hotter, much of the wonderful cornmeal crust stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Then, a 9-inch springform is a little different than a 9-inch pie plate so I ended up having way too much filling compared to the area I had left to fill.
I made a second all cheesecake bake but haven’t dared eat it yet so it will likely almost all go to waste. I guess what I’m saying is this might still be OK if not ideal for a cast iron (given the way it holds heat) but it’d work better in a 10-inch skillet than a little 9-inch braiser.
Either way, I’m pretty sure I’m going to make it again, because that cornmeal crust and the lime flavor (with a dash of tequila and triple sec) was just too good to only have once.
A note on the booze: I’m not much for buying top-shelf stuff to use for cooking even though the recipe was technically called a top-shelf margarita cheesecake. I’m cheap and already pay for good whiskey, so I went with what I’m calling the medium-shelf level. Kind of like the Medium Place, there are worse tequilas and triple secs, but I couldn’t talk myself into the good stuff. Besides, I’m no tequila aficionado so mediocre is fine by me. And it all worked out fine so don’t stress if you want to go cheap; the flavors will mix just fine without splurging on the good stuff (unless you really want to!).
Here’s what I did (following the recipe, except the garnishes, even though it is a little off for a 9-inch pie plate/braiser):
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 stick (½ c.) unsalted butter (plus more for coating pan)
- ¼ c. sugar
- ½ c. all-purpose flour
- ½ c. yellow cornmeal
- ¼ t. salt (about a hefty pinch)
For the cheesecake filling:
- 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (I softened mine but the recipe doesn’t specifically call for it)
- 1 c. sugar
- 4 eggs
- ¼ c. fresh lime juice
- 2 T. tequila
- 2 T. triple sec
- Zest of 1 lime (the recipe called for zest of half a lime, but I really like lime flavor)
For the whipped cream:
- 1 c. heavy cream
- ½ c. confectioners’ sugar
- 1 T. fresh lime juice
- 2 T. tequila
- 2 T. triple sec
Directions
For the crust:
Heat oven to 350 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9- to 10-inch skillet (or other container as appropriate).
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add flour, cornmeal, and salt, and mix to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and up the sides as much as possible, and bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
For the cheesecake filling:
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Then, add in the lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and lime zest, and stir or beat to combine.
Pour mixture over the cooled crust, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is cooked through (still at 350 degrees). Remove from oven once done and let cool for about an hour; then, refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
For the whipped cream:
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream, confectioners’ sugar, lime juice, tequila, and triple sec, starting on low speed but gradually increasing until peaks form.
To finish:
Spread the margarita cream on top of the chilled cheesecake, and enjoy (preferably with a good, homemade classic margarita)!