Alcohol content in food

[txtracey]

I have some cake recipes I have been working on. Several have alcohol in the filling. The alcohol is not cooked out of the recipe. Do I need to be careful about alcohol content? Obviously there isn't enough alcohol in this stuff for a person to become intoxicated by eating a slice of cake, but i am wondering if there are any rules about this. I have looked online and can't find an answer. Thanks for any help!

[Blueicus]

What do you mean by rules? You mean to the point you're liable for making people drunk? I wouldn't worry but if you want to firstly, calculate the total amount of alcohol in your cake and divide it per slice. How many beers worth of alcohol are there in each slice? (a 1.5 oz. portion of hard liquor 40% is equal to a can of beer).

[OregonYeti]

When I worked at Hewlett Packard we had a potluck once.One Hispanic woman made a cake sooo delicious and a spark might have started a fire. I got a little light headed from it, truly, since I pigged out on 2 pieces. It had a lot of dark rum in it. Our boss pretended not to notice.

[jbd]

The only thing you wold need to worry about in regards to alcohol content is that it is there. This would be for the safety/well being of people who are allergic. My mother became increasingly allergic to alcohol products over many years. She is to a point now where even small amounts of alcohol create difficulties with breathing.

The name of the cake or its description should indicate the presence of the particular alcohol you are using.

[jbd]

Originally Posted by OregonYeti

When I worked at Hewlett Packard we had a potluck once.One Hispanic woman made a cake sooo delicious and a spark might have started a fire. I got a little light headed from it, truly, since I pigged out on 2 pieces. It had a lot of dark rum in it. Our boss pretended not to notice.

Your story brought back a warm memory from back in the '70's. I was in basic training(military, not cooking ) We had been given a break at Christmas for several days and were allowed to go home. Immediately upon our return to basic training we headed out on a 3 or 4 day bivouac(sp?) We were sleeping in the little two man pup tents, on the ground, in sleeping bags. I noticed my tent mate was being really fastidious about sealing the pup tent from the cold winter. We get settled into the sleeping bags and it is completely dark when I hear a small "fzzzt" sound followed almost immediately by a very strong "whiskey" aroma. My tent mate had just opened a rather large Tupperware container full of homemade boubon balls. His Grandmother had made them for the holidays and had insisted he take them "home" with him. He just didn't have the heart to refuse. We ate all those bourbon balls during the next three nights in the field so he wouldn't get caught with them in the barracks. Talk about being a little tipsy---Grandma wasn't stingey with the bourbon

[phoenix 12]

Originally Posted by jbd

Your story brought back a warm memory from back in the '70's. I was in basic training(military, not cooking ) We had been given a break at Christmas for several days and were allowed to go home. Immediately upon our return to basic training we headed out on a 3 or 4 day bivouac(sp?) We were sleeping in the little two man pup tents, on the ground, in sleeping bags. I noticed my tent mate was being really fastidious about sealing the pup tent from the cold winter. We get settled into the sleeping bags and it is completely dark when I hear a small "fzzzt" sound followed almost immediately by a very strong "whiskey" aroma. My tent mate had just opened a rather large Tupperware container full of homemade boubon balls. His Grandmother had made them for the holidays and had insisted he take them "home" with him. He just didn't have the heart to refuse. We ate all those bourbon balls during the next three nights in the field so he wouldn't get caught with them in the barracks. Talk about being a little tipsy---Grandma wasn't stingey with the bourbon

One of the best ways to keep warm in the field.

[tralfaz]

Txtracey, are you asking about what to do when serving to friends, family and others? I'd definitely warn people about it. Different people have different tolerances. I asked some friends of mine who go to AA, they said vanilla in uncooked foods wasn't a big deal for them, but they avoided foods that have wine or brandy/whiskey/booze even when the alcohol is cooked off. Just the flavor is too much of a reminder for them. They're good friends, so I'm willing to accommodate them.


If you are serving to people you don't know very well and want to be considerate, you might warn people there's some alcohol in it and have a carton of ice cream or fresh fruit handy as an alternative.


Me? I pickle stuffed olives in gin.

[geishakitty]

Personally for me I have found when adding alcohol you must be careful since that little extra "dollop" will eventually make your filling more liquidly and runny-ruining the dessert you are making.

[txtracey]

This is the first time I have had to check on the replies. Thank you to everyone for your advice, input and "warm" memories! The cakes will be for sale, and it will be evident that they contain alchohol. I haven't had any trouble with the fillings, or frostings becoming runny. I want the cakes to have the taste of alcohol, - like in a rum cake. You can definitely tell it is in there! Thanks again-and bottom's up!