This Mouthwatering Italian Cake Gets Its Flavor From A Boozy Soak

Who doesn't love lobbing off a hunk of a tender, freshly baked pound cake to enjoy with hot tea or a cold glass of milk. Well, what if that pound cake was soaked not only in a simple syrup to keep the crumb satisfyingly moist, but in a triple whammy of tipples. Enter Italian hangover cake, a pound cake dessert sweetened with orange juice and then infused with a combo of Disaronno, Grand Marnier, and vodka.

While its name does give a nod to its juiced-up ingredients, the beauty of this cake is that the soak is readily absorbed into this somewhat toothsome sweet, giving it more of a flavorful punch like a rum cake or bourbon pound cake rather than hitting you in the face as if you'd taken a shot. The buttery cake tastes citrusy from the orange juice and Grand Marnier, along with notes of almond marzipan, apricot, and vanilla from the Disaronno. Meanwhile, vodka's neutral, crisp taste plays up the overall booziness more than any particular flavor. Although there isn't a definitive answer about where Italian hangover cake was first created, many give the nod to DeFazio's Pizzeria in upstate New York. 

DeFazio's Pizzeria has been a staple of Troy, New York, since at least 1989, when the DeFazio family expanded its retail presence into a full-blown restaurant. But the Italian hangover cake was something of a hidden gem until it had a viral moment in the early 2020s. Some credit Dave Portnoy's 2021 review of DeFazio's savory pies for shining a spotlight on the family-owned joint's sweet, boozy dessert. The unsuspecting cake stole the show and has since inspired copycat recipes across the internet.

The magic of Italian hangover cake comes with the step of poking holes in the cooling cake and then pouring over the simple syrup-anchored liqueur soak. The liquid gently saturates the cake, penetrating every nook and cranny for bite after tempting bite. While many types of alcohol like bourbon, whiskey, and coffee liqueur often find their way into desserts from tiramisu to boozy whipped cream, the mixture of Grand Marnier, Disaronno, and vodka keeps this cake's profile a bit brighter, not to mention delectably moist.

@momma.jackie65

Italian Hangover Cake 🍸 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened and divided 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon orange zest ½ cup olive oil 4 eggs ½ cup orange juice ¾ cup whole milk ¼ cup orange liqueur 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt FOR THE GLAZE 1 cup orange juice 1 cup granulated sugar ¼ cup orange liqueur ¼ cup almond liqueur ¼ cup vodka ⅔ cup powdered sugar #cake #italianfood#desert #sweet #baking

♬ L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole

While DeFazio's Pizzeria is emphatic on its website that it doesn't ship its Italian hangover cake, you can always give making your own homemade version a try. Whether you prepare the dessert by pouring this combination of spirits and juice over a basic, freshly made pound cake, or bake a citrus-infused version from scratch then give it an extra boozy twist, Italian hangover cake may be your new requested on-repeat treat, just as welcome midday as it is after dinner.