Kentucky Bourbon Cake

By Chez_Alexander

Ingredients

• BOURBON CAKE
• 3 cups (12 ounces or 360 grams) sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces or 297 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces or 107 grams) firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 57 milliliters) really quite smooth and decent bourbon (we like Bulleit)
• 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
• GLAZE
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces or 149 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 57 milliliters) really quite smooth and decent bourbon (we like Bulleit)

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 65mins

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE THE BOURBON CAKE
1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan or fluted metal tube pan or two 6-cup Bundt pans.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. As you make the batter, stop the mixer frequently and scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Blend in the eggs one at a time. Combine the bourbon and buttermilk in a small bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk-bourbon mixture in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula. The batter should be smooth and shiny, like liquid silk.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cake is golden and springs back when gently pressed, 40 to 45 minutes if using a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and 30 to 35 minutes if using a 6-cup Bundt pan.

MAKE THE GLAZE
5. Combine the butter, sugar, and bourbon in a small saucepan over low heat just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine.
6. Remove the cake from the oven but leave it in the pan. Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a wooden skewer. Pour 3/4 of the glaze slowly over the cake, saving the remaining glaze. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes.
7. Invert the cake pan and glazed cake onto a cake stand or serving plate and gently remove the pan. If desired, brush the top of the cake with the remaining glaze. (If the glaze has thickened to the point where it doesn’t want to budge, simply rewarm it over low heat.) Slice and serve.