Kentucky Bourbon CakeBourbon lovers will adore this Kentucky bourbon cake. The crumb was dense and moist with a lovely golden brown exterior. The bourbon both inside the cake and in the glaze provided a wonderful rich bourbon flavor with the burn of the alcohol. It is easy to come together and bakes in under an hour. With batter smelling like a sweet bourbon cocktail and the bottle still sitting out, I will admit to mixing up a Kentucky Mule for myself while waiting for the cake to bake and cool. (That would make a great adaptation to the original recipe: add some ginger and some lime zest as well as some lime juice to the glaze. Oh, my, I think I need to get some more bourbon!) I used an older, thinner, 10-cup Bundt pan that I had laying around. I would really recommend the Nordic Ware style that is heavy and nonstick. Had some major issues with sticking in the grooves even though I buttered the pan really well. Still delicious, though!

Make no mistake, this Kentucky bourbon cake is a BOOZY affair. I made two gorgeous 6-cup Bundt cakes with this recipe. Because of the small pans, I needed to shave 10 minutes from the bake time so 35 minutes at 350°F. I also discovered that it was completely unnecessary to save a portion of the glaze to brush over the cakes after removing them from the pans because the glaze that I poured over the cakes while they were in the pans conveniently coated the tops of the cakes with a glorious bourbon-y sheen! My mother would have referred to this as “the stuff of dreams.” We took these cakes to my wife’s office, and everyone raved about them. These are either brilliant cakes or it was the booze talking. The only thing I’ll do differently is opt for Wild Turkey, as the final 1/4 cup bourbon wasn’t baked into the cake but rather poured over the cake, which soaked up the glaze like a sponge. Because of this, the flavor was very apparent. I have no complaint against any of the fine Kentucky bourbons out there, but for my money and palate, I prefer Wild Turkey. It’s simply delicious straight from the bottle.

This Kentucky bourbon cake was such a delight. The actual cake itself has the texture of a pound cake laced with hints of bourbon. The glaze adds a nice layer of sweetness and texture. The cake is even better served warm. I thought the glaze was going to be too sweet, but it was actually just right. I will be adding this to my list of go-to cakes. At 45 minutes, my cake was almost set. When poked for doneness, the knife didn’t come out clean. I had to put it back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. I used a fluted metal tube pan, which gave me some problems. When I went to un-mold the cake, the pan pulled a little cake from the bottom so my top surface wasn’t smooth. This also could’ve happened because the cake needed to cool some more.

 

 

 

May the last crumb of your Kentucky bourbon cake transport you to cake heaven a full hour before the devil knows it’s all gone. This recipe was a very easy preparation resulting in a dense, buttery, caramel-and-bourbon-flavored cake. I used my humble 10-inch tube pan. Our whimsical oven required a full hour for the cake to finally become golden brown and “springy to the touch.” The initial application of glaze was absorbed within 10 minutes, and I had no issues brushing on the remainder of the glaze. I feared there might be some crumbling, but not to worry. Beautiful! With a modest spoonful of slightly sweetened whipped cream, this simple dessert was completely satisfying, as simple things done well are.