Italian Hangover Cake is a delicious and moist cake with an orange flavor and alcohol infused glaze. This tested and perfected recipe is simple to make and great for any occasion!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW: Made this cake over the weekend and it was so delicious. The glaze was so easy to make and the cake was perfectly tender. All of my guests loved it and I will definitely make again.
This Italian Hangover Cake is such a moist and delicious cake, it’s a great treat to have on hand for dessert or snacking. While it may not fall under traditional Italian desserts, it’s definitely a cake you’ll make again and again.
If you love more traditional-style Italian cakes be sure to try this Torta Paradiso or the classic Torta Caprese flourless chocolate cake. For another delicious alcohol-infused treat, don’t miss my Amaretto Pound Cake or these Limoncello Ricotta Cookies.
What is an Italian Hangover Cake?
The origins of the Italian Hangover Cake recipe are said to come from Defazio’s Pizzeria in New York. While the original recipe is not disclosed, this copycat version tastes just as good.
What makes this cake so special is the alcohol-infused soak that is prepared and then poured over the warm cake, similar to a rum cake. The glaze seeps into the cake and enhances it with a slightly boozy flavor.
This cake is super popular for good reason. It’s a moist homemade cake made with orange zest and orange juice. The warm cake is then poked with holes and a warm glaze is poured over it to soak into the cake.
You’ll love that this cake is so moist and flavorful without having too much liqueur flavor. This authentic Italian hangover cake has been tested and perfected for excellent results every time.
So, if you are looking for a delicious and simple bundt cake that’s full of flavor, be sure to give this recipe a try. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients
- Butter: use unsalted room temperature butter for the cake batter. You will also need butter for the alcohol orange glaze.
- Sugar: regular granulated sugar works for the both the cake and the glaze.
- Eggs: use large room temperature whole eggs.
- Milk: whole milk or 2% milk work great.
- Orange: you will need both the orange zest and orange juice to flavor the cake. You can add lemon zest too if you’d like.
- Flour: regular all purpose flour works.
- Baking Powder: make sure you are using baking powder and not baking soda.
- Salt: kosher salt is great for baking.
- Liqueur: for the Italian Hangover Cake glaze/soak you will need a combination of three liqueurs: Grand Marnier, Disaronno, and vodka. You can substitute other types of alcohol like rum or amaretto if you’d like.
How to Make Italian Hangover Cake
This delicious Italian Hangover Cake is made with simple ingredients and comes together fast. To start, you will need to grease a standard bundt cake pan. I recommend applying a coating of butter and then dusting with flour.
Step 1: prepare cake batter
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In a large bowl or stand up mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the room temperature butter and granulated sugar. Mix until well combined.
Then, add in the eggs, milk, orange zest and orange juice. Lastly, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
Step 2: bake
Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth top. Bake on center rack in preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes.
Step 3: prepared the soak/glaze
During the last five minutes of baking, prepare the soak. In a small saucepan bring the butter, sugar and water to a low boil then simmer for five minutes.
Off the heat add in the liqueur.
Step 4: pour the soak on the cake
Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Then, pour a little more than half of the hot glaze over the warm cake.
Let the cake sit and soak for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Brush on the remaining glaze until well absorbed.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cooled Italian Hangover Cake and cut into individual slices.
Recipe Tips
Bundt Pan: make sure you are greasing the pan well before pouring in the batter. You can use a nonstick spray that has flour added to it for extra protection. Or just grease the pan with butter and dust with flour before using.
Serving: I like to dust powdered sugar on the cooled cake before serving. You can also serve with a side of whipped cream.
Storage: store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can also refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
More Traditional Italian Cakes
Italian Hangover Cake
Equipment
- standard bundt cake pan
- small saucepan
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 large orange, zested and juiced
- 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted (260 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Glaze
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 3 tablespoons Disaronno
- 2 tablespoons vodka
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray, or butter and flour; set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand up mixer fitted with paddle attachment, use an electric mixer to beat together the granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, milk, orange juice and zest, and continue mixing until well combined (the mixture will appear curdled).
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake on center rack in oven for about 45-50 minutes. Test for doneness using a toothpick. Remove from oven and set on wire baking rack. Do not remove the cake from the pan at this point.
For the Glaze
- During the last five minutes of baking, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, butter, and water to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier, Disaronno, and vodka; set aside.
- After the cake has cooled for about 5-10 minutes, use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake (it should still be in the pan). Slowly pour a little more than half of the glaze over the cake, allowing it to soak in. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes, then loosen the cake around the edges of the pan and invert it onto either a cooling rack or serving plate.
- Use a pastry brush or silicone brush to brush the remaining glaze over the top of the cake. Once the cake is cooled, cut into slices and enjoy!
Question I love the taste that the liquors bring to the cake but no so much the alcohol flavor ..could I add the liquors and continue to simmer for a bit to burn off some of the raw alcohol taste but keep the flavors ?
yes, that works!
Could I make.tjis kid friendly by not using the liquor for the glaze? Thanks!
Yes! You could just do a simple glaze powdered sugar and milk, and flavor it with vanilla and orange zest if you’d like. Enjoy!
I would like to put an extra drop or two of GrandMarnier in with the orange juice.
What are your thoughts?
I think that would be delicious! Definitely go for it.
Hi. Can I use lemon instead of orange?
Yes, that works!
Amazingly easy and so deliciously moist and flavourful!!
Made this cake over the weekend and it was so delicious. The glaze was so easy to make and the cake was perfectly tender. All of my guests loved it and I will definitely make again.
Just wondering if i could omit the vodka or just half it, i cant wait to try.
You can definitely just omit the vodka. Hope you love it! 🙂