Is there a substitute for brandy in Christmas cake? (abstaining on alcohol)

Shireen
  • Posted by: Shireen
  • September 28, 2014
  • 7199 views
  • 9 Comments

9 Comments

Pegeen September 28, 2014
p.s. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I just think there's a general lack of awareness that alcohol can cause allergic reactions.

Also want to wish congratulations to Queen Sashy for her "Hotline MVP of the Month" award. Very much deserved!
 
Pegeen September 28, 2014
If someone must abstain from alcohol for any reason (religious, medical, etc.) you typically do not use it in a dish, assuming it will evaporate. That's like telling someone allergic to nuts that if they just wait a while, the flavor of the nuts will go away.

Susan W. - Trader Joe's sells it and lots of other chains.
 
Susan W. September 28, 2014
Very true. It's also not true that cooking alcohol makes the alcohol zero %.

It's been a couple of years since I tried to find it, but TJ, Whole Foods, Albertsons and Safeway didn't carry it at that time. I'll have to look again just for fun. I have my own brewing away in my pantry along with 7 other bottles for Christmas presents. It is not non alcoholic. :)
 
QueenSashy September 28, 2014
If you are making the cake ahead of time (some folks say 8-12 weeks is ideal to moisten the cake, and I found that to be correct) chances are that most of the alcohol will have evaporated by then.
 
Susan W. September 28, 2014
I have never found a vanilla that doesn't contain alcohol. I'm sure they exist, I have just never seen it where I shop. For a bump in flavor, you could use a vanilla bean paste or split a vanilla bean in half and scrape out the paste inside.
 
Pegeen September 28, 2014
Susan W, just go to amazon.com and search for "vanilla extract no alcohol"
 
Susan W. September 28, 2014
Yes, I found it there for someone who was doing a Whole30. I just never found it in the 4 grocery stores where I typically shop.
 
Pegeen September 28, 2014
Be careful with substituting extracts for brandy. Unless the label says "non alcoholic" or "no alcohol," extracts also typically contain alcohol. You can find non-alcoholic extracts online or in specialty food stores.

If your recipe doesn't call for much brandy, I agree with PazzoNico, just omit it. If it calls for more than a couple tablespoons, use a non-alcoholic extract like vanilla. Or just find a different recipe that doesn't use an alcoholic ingredient.
 
PazzoNico September 28, 2014
How much does the recipe call for?

If it's a small amount, I've seen brandy substituted with raspberry extract (in small amounts).

Or, just simply omit it.
 
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