I Turn Tequila Shots Into Dessert With Store-Bought Angel Food Cake

Tequila shots don’t have to stay in a glass. I use store-bought angel food cake to turn tequila and lime into bite-size pieces with crisp, golden edges and a soft cake center.

Instead of pouring tequila over the finished dessert, I cut the cake into chunks and dip each piece in tequila and lime juice before it goes into hot oil. Angel food cake absorbs liquid fast, so the dip takes seconds. Powdered sugar, lime zest, and a lime dipping sauce finish the fried pieces.

I Give Each Piece a Quick Tequila Dip

I start with store-bought angel food cake rather than making a cake from scratch. Its light texture absorbs the tequila and lime mixture, which is also the reason I don’t let the pieces sit in it.

After cutting the cake into large chunks, I combine tequila and lime juice in a shallow bowl. Each piece gets a quick dip. Soaking it for too long adds more liquid than the cake can handle and can leave the center soggy.

Hot Oil Changes the Texture

Once dipped, the cake goes into hot vegetable oil. I fry each piece for about one minute per side, turning it once the first side has taken on a golden crust.

I work in batches instead of filling the pot at once. Angel food cake can absorb oil as well as tequila, so I take each piece out once both sides have browned and transfer it to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Powdered Sugar and Lime Finish Each Bite

After the fried cake has cooled enough to handle, I dust the pieces with powdered sugar and grate fresh lime zest over the top. The sugar settles into the crisp surface while the green zest hints at the tequila-lime mixture inside.

I also make a dipping sauce from powdered sugar, lime juice, and milk. The fried cake can be eaten on its own, but dipping a warm piece into the lime sauce brings the tequila-shot idea back into each bite.

The finished dessert may look like fried dough at first glance, but there is no dough to mix or proof. Store-bought cake does most of the work, while tequila, lime, frying, and powdered sugar turn it into something far removed from the slices that came out of the package.

Would you rather take your tequila as a shot or eat it inside a piece of fried cake?