WOODFORD RESERVE BOURBON CAKE
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Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cake with Caramel Glaze offers a rich, bold flavor of bourbon, this cake is not for the faint of heart! It’s a boozy twist on a Southern classic!
I gave Big Daddy three bottles of his favorite bourbons for Christmas; all premium, single barrel bourbons! We were educated on all things bourbon after enjoying the Bourbon Trail for three days.
This is a really fun tour if you have a free weekend. You’ll learn the art, history, and science behind the bourbon brewing process. As well, you’ll have the opportunity to taste various bourbons, some that are not even on the market yet.
We made it into a family trip and incorporated kid-friendly activities into our visit. On the Bourbon Tour, our first stop was Maker’s Mark. (photo below taken at Maker’s Mark.)
The cake would be fabulous without the caramel glaze, but I’m all about more is more when it comes to desserts so I added the luscious, creamy caramel on top! I KNOW RIGHT?! Just look at that caramel oozing off the top!
Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cake with Caramel Glaze
Bourbon gives this cake a deep, rich flavor. However, it’s not an over-powering flavor. And, the texture of the cake is tender with a fine crumb. It melts in your mouth.
I recently updated this post with new photos and easier instructions. As well, the photo below is from the original post and photos.
More yummy pound cakes
WOODFORD RESERVE BOURBON CAKE TIPS
- First, I prefer to bake my pound cakes in this tube pan versus a bundt pan. Several of my pound cakes in this series have too much batter for a standard bundt pan.
- For any cake, be diligent about measuring your flour accurately. Furthermore, I wrote this post that will help you if you’re not sure how to measure: How to Correctly Measure Flour.
- Allow yourself time to cream the
butter (or fat) and sugar for a pound cake. Don’t be tempted to rush the process. You want to cream it until it is light in color and fluffy. - As well, don’t dump the eggs in all at once. Add them one at a time beating until you can no longer see the egg before you add another one.
- To test for doneness, insert a long skewer into the thickest part of the cake. The cake is done when no crumbs or dry crumbs remain on the skewer when removed.
- Next, allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
- Additionally, cool the cake completely before covering it.
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While you’re here, check out these recipes
- Bourbon Balls
- Butter Beer Pound Cake
- Coffee Cake Pound Cake
- Orange Creamsicle Pound Cake
- Sheet Pan Pound Cake
- Can I Bake a Pound Cake in a 9×13-inch Pan?
- All my pound cake recipes
Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cake with Caramel Glaze
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- ½ cup solid vegetable shortening
- 2 cup light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 5 ounces half and half at room temperature (heavy cream or milk can be substituted)
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon Woodford Reserve bourbon, or your favorite bourbon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted then measured correctly
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Caramel Glaze
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and ¼ cup powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and sugar (I use granulated sugar but you can use flour) a 10×4-inch, 12 cup bundt pan (that's larger than a typical bundt pan) or a tube pan with solid vegetable shortening or Wilton Cake Release.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream butter and shortening at medium speed. Gradually add brown sugar, beating until light and creamy. Stop mixer and scrape sides.
- Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended. Stop mixer and scrape sides with a spatula.
- Add bourbon to half and half; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture to the ingredients in the mixing bowl beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stop mixer and scrape sides with a spatula.
- Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake at 325°F for 1 hour 10 to 15 minutes. A long wooden pick inserted in the center should come out clean when the cake is done. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes then remove from pan to cake plate.
- Cool the cake completely on a wire rack before glazing. It will take about an hour for the cake to cool completely.
Caramel Glaze
- Bring brown sugar, whipping cream, and butter to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly.
- Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth and the mixture begins to thicken. This will take 3 to 5 minutes.
- Immediately pour frosting over the cooled cake.
- Store in an airtight container on the countertop for 1 week. Freezes well.
I want to try this recipe. I have Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Is that OK?
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the Godfather of Bourbons!!! As an Old KY Gal I would never consider anything else.
a lot of other people have modified the recipe, I tried to do it as written (except I didn’t trust the quantity of glaze and made 1.5 and darn if I didn’t get the powdered sugar ratio wrong too much… don’t think that was too much of a fail)
Taking this to Thanksgiving Dinner today – it sure is beautiful and I can’t wait to hear from everyone. I made a single serving ramekin and it tasted divine to me and that was without the glaze!
Is it safe for kids to eat this? Does the alcohol dissipate while baking? I’ve never baked with alcohol! Thanks!
Could this great looking cake be made in a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes, it can be made in a 9×13 inch pan. I would still bake it at the same temperature, but I’m unsure of the exact time. It’s a more dense cake than more cakes that are made in a 9×13 pan. I would start checking it at 40 minutes. If you look at it and it’s is lower in the middle it’s not ready. After that middle is poufed up, start testing it with a wooden toothpick. You’ll want to very gently open and close the oven door when you do this. Test every 5 minutes until the pick comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
Thanks so much for your reply. Will look forward to trying this recipe soon. May I ask one more question? Can another bourbon be substituted without changing the taste of the cake?
Yes, I used Woodford because that’s what we had and my husband almost killed me! 🙂 I’ve used 4 Roses, Maker’s, Buffalo Trace and even Crown Royal and you can’t tell much of a difference after it cooks.
Do you think I’d be safe using any other kind of bourbon? How off do you think the taste would be? If you have suggestions of another kind that would work, please let me know!
Hi Katie! Yes, I think it would be fine to use another bourbon. Really Woodford is too expensive to bake with but it’s what my husband drinks and what we had. Crown Royal, Maker’s, even Jack Daniels any light colored bourbon or whiskey will give almost the same flavor in this.
Paula,
On the Woodford Reserve cake what is the measurement of half and half in this recipe? Did I miss that ingredient?
Charla, it’s 5 oz. It really needs more than 1/2 cup but not as much as 3/4 cup so that’s why I wrote it 5 oz. I know that’s not typical.
This cake looks and sounds amazing. However, I don’t cook with shortening any more. Do you think using all butter or coconut oil for the shortening would hinder the texture at all?
Thanks!
I think either would be ok. I actually think I’d try it with half butter and half coconut oil. I’ve started replacing coconut oil in a lot of things. I actually made a cake last week with it, but it wasn’t a Pound Cake. It turned out good.
I really love bourbon, especially Woodford Reserve. Baking with alcohol is so much fun and the punch of flavor it gives it always welcome. This cake looks like pure decadent deliciousness!
Thank you! I have just recently started cooking and baking with bourbon and I love the depth of flavor it adds. Thanks for stopping by.
Whoa, that’s some cake! Thanks for joining in the cake extravaganza, Paula. Cheers
Thank you, Carole.
Paula,
This cake is amazing! I'm featuring you today on Tasty Creations Bi-weekly link party! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Michelle