Non alcoholic substitute for vodka?

kiwi strawberry

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 10:52 am

I have this cake recipe that calls for both vodka as well as khalua. Are there any substitutes I can put in instead to make this cake non alcoholic??

Ema of 5

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 10:54 am

kiwi strawberry wrote:

I have this cake recipe that calls for both vodka as well as khalua. Are there any substitutes I can put in instead to make this cake non alcoholic??

When you bake it the alcohol will bake out so it won't be an alcoholic cake, but it will still have the flavor.

sky

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 11:49 am

Just saw that after 1 hour of baking (typical for a cake) 25% of alcohol still remains.

It takes 2.5 hours of baking time to get it down to 5%.

You can try replacing with white grape juice or apple juice (never tried it) I'm guessing it will affect the taste.

Last edited by sky on Fri, Oct 09 2015, 11:52 am; edited 1 time in total

kiwi strawberry

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 12:43 pm

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering-if it's worth it to make this cake. What about putting in one of those syrup mixtures that's used for making cocktails and smoothies, like pina colada syrup that you add to make the drink-you know? They have some without alcohol, and other flavors too besides pina colada (like maybe raspberry and others). Is that too weird? I'm thinking of some of that plus some pareve milk.

White grape juice is not a bad idea either-or other grape juice flavors like peach perhaps.

ra_mom

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 1:10 pm

If you're OK with the kahlua, just use double of that instead of half kahlua and half vodka.

Otherwise use orange juice in your cake for good flavor but it won't be kahlua cake.

Would you make a cinnamon swirl cake, lemon, pound, mocha, chocolate...?

spring13

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 1:18 pm

If it calls for both vodka and kahlua but you don't want to use alcohol, just find another recipe. What kind of cake are you going for? Maybe we can suggest a decent alternative that won't require major substitutions.

spring13

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 1:24 pm

kiwi strawberry wrote:

Syrups will contain sugar and other ingredients. Besides having a different taste and consistency, the cake could be relying on the chemical as well as flavor effects of the booze. It's not worth experimenting when you could just make something else.

zaq

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 6:06 pm

Use an equal volume of very strong, sweet coffee instead of Kahlua (Is Kahlua even kosher? I thought it lost its hechsher, but that may have been Tia Maria.) Just skip the vodka altogether since it really does not contribute anything to the taste. If the volume of vodka is significant, use water. Don't bother if the recipe calls for only 1/4 cup or so.

kiwi strawberry

Sat, Oct 10 2015, 8:19 pm

Thanks for the responses everyone! This was a recipe I received a long time ago from a friend and never made it until I just thought about it now. The recipe is basically a Duncan Heinz cake mix with a couple of other things added in! I ended up substituting the vodka and kahlua for other things and it was nothing to write home about at all, even though I was given the recipe with rave reviews. Personally I don't think it was the substitutions that changed it from an amazing cake to an 'eh' cake-I think it was the Duncan Heinz base that made it eh, even if the vodka would've been in there...

But anyway, I substituted the vodka for sparkling raspberry grape juice (thanks Sky for that suggestion!), and the kahlua for-don't laugh-cream soda, a drop of pina colada syrup, and vanilla almond milk Very Happy

That was fun Very Happy

It only called for a 1/4 cup each...

That's the end of my little saga, and I think now I'll stick to my old cakes that I know are amazing! Smile

ra_mom

Sat, Oct 10 2015, 8:25 pm

kiwi strawberry wrote:

That was fun Very Happy

It only called for a 1/4 cup each...

That's the end of my little saga, and I think now I'll stick to my old cakes that I know are amazing! Smile