The Little Irish Whiskey Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lemon, zest of
1 cup golden raisin
1/4 cup Irish whiskey, plus
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
1/2 cup butter, plus
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2/3 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

Place lemon zest and the raisins in a small bowl and cover with 1/4 cup of whiskey.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave to soak overnight.
When ready to prepare the cake, lightly butter a 7-inch square cake pan.
Line the base with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350\u00b0F.
Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer (or mix by hand).
Beat the butter until creamy.
Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and creamy.
Add the egg yolks and beat them into the mixture one at a time.
Remove the lemon zest from the raisin and whiskey mixture.
Chop some of the zest very finely, about 1 Tbsp, and add to the egg and sugar mixture along with the raisins and whiskey.
Gently stir into the mixture.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Fold them into the egg and sugar mixture alternately with the flour.
Don't overmix.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
Sprinkle with the sugar and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until it springs back gently when touched and a tester emerges clean.
Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.
Turn out onto a cake rack set over a plate so that the cake is upside down.
Use a skewer to make about 6 or 8 little holes in the cake's base (don't go all the way through) and pour the remaining bit of whiskey into the holes.
Let sit for another 15 minutes, then invert and let cool completely before cutting into thick fingers and serving.