We have a cake of sorts

This past week, I made the Christmas cake. 

I won't say it came out perfectly because it didn't. It might will be edible, but it did lack brandy for the overnight soaking of the dried fruit, and that had me quite stumped. I knew I'd bought brandy last year for the cake. I remember doing so. But I looked everywhere, in cupboard after cupboard, standing there pondering this dilemma, because I could not find any brandy at all. Where on earth was the brandy?

Well, not to worry, because in the search for the brandy, I found a bottle of  (old) Cointreau. I took a swig. It seemed okay. I assume it was. I don't actually know what its meant to taste like but it was fine. I think. So I soaked the fruit with the Cointreau overnight, and then the next day I mixed the cake and baked it. It did burn a bit, and as I was wielding the kitchen knife, hacking the burnt bits off the side of the cake (I blame the oven) and I happened to comment on the mystery of the brandy.

Well. There was a bit of discussion, more searching for the elusive bottle, and more agreeing that, yes, of course I'd bought a new bottle last year. Of course I had, because it had been used in the...

Eureka!!! The Egg Nog!!!

It had been used in the Egg Nog, the half a bottle of the stuff left from the weekly drizzling of the cake in brandy during the monthly lead up to Christmas. Of course! The brandy had gone into that cream, egg and boozy deliciousness that was the egg nog. 

Boy, that was one mighty fine beverage, I thought dreamily, that Nog. A thousand calories in a solitary glass, right there, no doubt.

The mystery was solved, the Cointreau is (I hope) working fine, and will be drizzled over the cake every week until I get to make the almond icing and the white icing and slather the cake, sans burnt bits, with it all, ready to be cut and sampled on Christmas Eve with a nice cup of tea to chase it down with.