Baking With Spirit

Those of you who follow my blog regularly will know that I've baked my fair share of alcohol-spiked cakes: Vodka Lemonade Cake, an eight layer Kahlua Cake for my sister' 18th, a Chocolate, Rum and Cherry Chesecake and Piña Colada Cupcakes, to name but a few. It got me thinking that the world of blog challenges was lacking in alcohol, and without wanting to fall into the student cliché (hey, I'll be out in 10 months and then I'll be one of the working masses like the rest of you) I thought I would take it upon myself to start something up.

There are plenty of traditional bakes that include alcohol: Zabaglione, Christmas Pudding, Christmas Cake, Tiramisu, Rum and Raisin Ice Cream, Trifle, Black Forest Gateau, and many more. I'm not asking you to make traditional cakes if you don't want to, though - you all know that I can't resist putting my own twist on something, so you are more than welcome to do the same!

Before I lay down the rules, I need to thank a couple of people. First of all, without Debs of Deb's Dust Bunny this challenge would have a much less snappy name (all I could think of was 'Boozy Bakes', which doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?), and without Richard Burrow, who I went to primary school with but is now an up and coming product designer, I would not have this striking and stylish logo. I can guarantee that the logo would look at least half as good as this if I had been left to my own devices! So thank you to Deb and Rich, this would have looked a lot shoddier and less classy without you!

Now, onto the rules: 

1. Bake or cook something food-related containing the specified type of alcohol* of the month.
2. Write a post about it on your blog and link back to my blog, Cake Of The Week, and mention Baking With Spirit.
3. Email the link to me at cakeoftheweek@hotmail.co.uk and include your name, your blog and the photo you want me to use in the round-up. If you tweet me @CakeOfTheWeek and/or use #bakingwithspirit I will endeavour to retweet!
4. The deadline is midnight on the 28th of the month.
5. I will post a round up within the following day or two. 
6. A new challenge will be posted on the 1st of the month.

Below are the past and present choices for alcohol of the month:

• May 2013 - Limoncello
• April 2013 - Raspberry Liqueur (roundup)
• March 2013 - Irish Cream Liqueur (roundup)
• February 2013 - Coffee Liqueur (roundup)
• January 2013 - Champagne (roundup)
• December 2012 - Your Choice (though preferably Christmas related) (roundup)
• November 2012 - Gin (roundup)
• October 2012 - Beer (roundup) 
• September 2012 - Rum (roundup)

Now, go and bake me something!


* If you don't drink alcohol or would prefer not to bake with it for whatever reason, feel free to use a flavouring for the relevant alcohol or another suitable subsitute!