italian dessert recipes

Harvey Wallbanger Cake

"Galliano, vodka, orange juice and a cake mix!"


harvey wallbanger cake This Harvey Wallbanger cake is in one of my grandmas cookbooks, listed in her Italian cakes section. Galliano is an Italian liqueur and it a primary flavoring in this cake. I have made a zillion Italian dessert recipes from this lil' cookbook - and this one like the others is awesome. My daughter's boyfriend had 5 pieces last night.

These little Italian ladies knew how to make their desserts! And yes they were all "ladies" because they put their name at the end of the recipe.

A tid bit of Italian drink trivia. A Harvey Wallbanger is an Italian drink made with orange juice, vodka, and Galliano. And those flavors actually have me prefering this cake over a basic Italian rum cake. It has a nice snappy bite.

This is one of those super easy cake recipes...because it uses a cake mix! *GASP* I know! BUT as my grandma aged - she began to accept cake mixes. Of course she always added a lot more goodies than the recipe on the back of the box.



See the substitution section below for tips and questions.




Harvey Wallbanger Cake



YIELD: 1 Bundt Pan

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 package yellow cake mix (I know, I know. But let's relax for one dessert and buy a mix!)

* 1 package of vanilla pudding (ONLY IF the cake mix doesn't have pudding in it)

* 1/2 cup of oil

* 4 eggs

* 1/4 cup of vodka

* 3/4 cup of orange juice

* 1/4 cup of Galliano



Procedure

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Mix all ingredients together and beat for 4 minutes. (Really!)

* Pour batter into well greased and lightly floured bundt pan.

* Bake for 45-50 minutes.

* You can dust with powdered sugar....OR maybe go for my bourbon orange glaze. You can make it with or without the bourbon if you decide the bourbon may be overkill.


Substitutions and Questions



What is Galliano?


Galliano is a brand name, like Pepsi or Charmin'. But to answer the question, it's an Italian herb flavored liqueur. There are over 80+ herbs and berries infused. The herb I notice most is anise, but that may be because it's an innate Italian trait. :-)

Can I use shortening or butter?


Sure, just be aware of the texture you will get for substituting. But using one of those ingredients won't harm the flavor.

Back to the Harvey Wallbanger Cake.



Other Italian Cake Recipes


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Coconut Cake Recipe

Date Bread

Double Chocolate Brownie Recipe

Eggnog Cake Recipe

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Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

Harvey Wallbanger Cake

Italian Cream Cake Recipe

Key Lime Cake

Lady Fingers Recipe

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Orange Bread Recipe

Peach Cake Recipe

Pear Cake Recipe

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Yogurt Cake

Frostings - Glazes - Icings

Caramel Frosting

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

coffee frosting Coffee Frosting

Orange Glaze

Lemon Frosting Recipe

Lemon Sauce Recipe







lisa gianotti I love sugar and I eat dessert EVERYDAY! Ok, not MASSIVE amounts. But I do have to finish off the evening meal with a little sweet something.

When I was a kid my health conscience mother would ration my Halloween candy. Her mantra was, "white sugar will kill you". But my Italian grandma always told me, "Everybody needs a little bit of sugar." :-) So, to get my October Halloween sugar fix I will make the traditional Italian cookie recipe, Venetian Bones of the Dead. Italians make these for the Day of the Dead on November 2nd. So - hey, our holiday in America - Halloween is the closest.

So - while the neighborhood is slamming down a bunch of gross mass produced candy on October 31st, I'll have a real goodie. Oh yeah, I'll have to post it too! (Eventually!) You know how it is. Work. Kids. Clean. Cook.



I'll see if Bones Of The Dead is in my grandma's first recipe file she started when she married in 1932. Most of the recipes on my site came from her influence. If they aren't in her file - then I got them from her friends. And the remainder I experimented with adapting her style.

I hope she looks down and smiles this Halloween.

Lisa


Would you like to share this page? You know how to do it! Thanks for sharing the sugar love!








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Recipes on this site are from family cookbooks, family traditions, or intentional adaptations from traditional recipes to add an Italian flair. If a recipe was adapted or used from another cook - it is mentioned on the recipe page and the recipe author is given credit.