Creative Drinking

Happy Birthday to me!

Having dinner with a few friends tonight for my birthday and I decided to try out my Nana's old recipe for Harvey Wallbanger cake. I will admit I used an on orange cake mix for this first time, not wanting to bite off more than I could chew, but this turned out so good, next time I'll try my hand at making it completely from scratch. 
The Harvey Wallbanger cocktail is a modern classic, invented sometime in the early 50s. It's rise in popularity in the 1970s undoubtedly is what gave this drink it's bad reputation. The 70s were a very dark time for cocktails. Fresh citrus was replaced with sour mix from soda guns, artificial sugary bottles replaced real fruit syrups, and numerous other shortcuts were taken everywhere to cut costs and corners. Galliano itself even became a lighter, sweeter version of itself up until a few years ago when the original formula was reinstated. What was once a very tasty cocktail combing vodka, fresh orange juice and Galliano, a sweet, herbal Italian liqueur, basically became a sweeter, headache-inducing screwdriver. Alas, I had never tried a Harvey Wallbanger despite having had a bottle taking up an awkward space in my liquor cabinet for the past few years. 
After reading up on the cocktail while assembling the ingredients for the cake, I was delighted to find that my bottle is the original 80 proof formula and decided the best thing to do would be to enjoy a proper Harvey Wallbanger while I baked the cake. It was refreshing, light and delicious.

Back to the cake. The recipe for Harvey Wallbanger cake is all over the internet, mine varies only
slightly from some, probably not at all from others. But taking your direction from your grandmother's handwritten yellowed recipe card has alot more charm than staring at a screen.

Harvey Wallbanger Cake Ingredients:

• 1 pkg orange cake mix 
• (though next time i may try and make my own instead of a mix)
• 1 pkg vanilla instant pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup Galliano
• 2 tbsp vodka

combine cake mix and pudding mix in large bowl.
add the eggs, oil, orange juice, Galliano and vodka
beat on low speed for 5 minutes.
pour into greased and floured bundt pan.
bake at 350 for 45min.

cool in pan for 10min.
remove and pour on glaze while cake is still warm

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1tbsp each vodka, orange juice, Galliano (I added a little extra vodka)

I recommend enjoying a Harvey Wallbanger cocktail while you're at it. Why wouldn't you, really?

• 2 oz vodka
• 3 oz fresh orange juice
• 1/2 oz Galliano

Build vodka and orange juice in ice-filled highball glass. Float the Galliano on top.