43 brandy cake recipes

Pfeffernuesse are traditional German Christmas peppernut cookies, fragrant with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a hint of black pepper, studded with citron and almonds and a touch of brandy. A heritage holiday cookie.

A rustic whole wheat cake packed with apple chunks and walnuts, drenched in a warm apple cider glaze spiked with applejack brandy.

Apricot brandy-soaked fruit and warm spices transform this quick bread into a moist, fragrant loaf that's more holiday fruitcake than everyday bread.

Nana Moon's traditional Christmas pudding: brandy-soaked dried fruit, suet and breadcrumbs steamed for hours into a dark, rich pudding, flamed with brandy and served with brandy butter.

Apple molasses pecan pie marries two Thanksgiving classics into one. Sliced apples and toasted pecans bound in a brandy-spiked molasses filling, finished with a buttery lattice crust.

Pumpkin empanadas fold brandy-tender pastry around cinnamon-spiced pumpkin filling, bake golden, and get dusted with cinnamon sugar. Mexican Thanksgiving and fall dessert hand pie.

Intensely moist chocolate layer cake with boiling water in the batter, topped with a rich cocoa buttercream frosting flavored with brandy and vanilla.

Fruitcake drop cookies with brandy, candied cherries, dates, candied pineapple, and nuts. All the holiday fruitcake flavor in a bite-sized cookie that bakes in 12 minutes.

Chocolate raspberry shortcakes split cocoa biscuits and fill with framboise-soaked berries and whipped cream. A romantic two-serving twist on classic strawberry shortcake.

Chocolate fruitcake: cocoa-cream cheese batter studded with candied cherries, golden raisins, pecans and a hint of brandy and rum. The fruitcake for people who don't think they like fruitcake.

Old-school dark fruitcake soaked overnight in brandy and orange liqueur with figs, apricots, currants, walnuts, and pecans. Makes four loaves; ages beautifully.

Swiss Aargau carrot cake made with ground almonds, grated carrots, kirsch, and cornstarch instead of flour. Finished with apricot glaze, fondant icing, and marzipan carrots.

A delicious Christmas bread made with almonds, cream cheese, golden raisins and brandy.

Lester's fruitcake is a heirloom holiday loaf: pounds of candied fruits, figs, dates, raisins, pecans, and walnuts bound in spiced molasses batter. Slow-baked, brandy-soaked, aged a month.

A hearty bundt cake packed with oats, sesame seeds, raisins, and mixed nuts. Warm spices, rum, and brandy give it deep, earthy flavor that lives up to its name.

Flourless-style chocolate almond torte with fresh raspberries and framboise, layered with raspberry jam glaze and a poured chocolate ganache. A showstopping French-inspired dessert.