This Bourbon vanilla cake is made with three layers of moist, bourbon-infused vanilla cake, bourbon caramel sauce and bourbon vanilla buttercream! Such a sublime and attractive dessert that’s excellent to your subsequent occasion!
Decadent Vanilla Bourbon Cake with Caramel Sauce
I really like including somewhat booze to my desserts. It may add a lot taste. Bourbon, particularly. From this Bourbon vanilla cake, to my Bourbon Spice Toffee Cake and Bourbon Peach Streusel Cheesecake, there are a number of superb choices. I additionally love my Margarita Cake, should you get pleasure from tequila. All of them make superior desserts for an grownup gathering, special day or perhaps a twenty first birthday.
Simply if you thought cake couldn’t get any higher, this cake makes it higher. A part of what I really like about this cake is that the bourbon is absolutely capable of shine towards the vanilla. Even the caramel sauce has some bourbon in it. The moist, tender layers of vanilla cake are infused with simply the correct amount of bourbon and frosted with a clean, creamy vanilla-bourbon buttercream. The delicate vanilla and nearly smoky taste of the bourbon are complimented fantastically by the caramel sauce. So good!
Why You’ll Love This Bourbon Vanilla Cake
Want a purpose to hop within the kitchen and get began on this vanilla bourbon cake? I’ve received just a few for you. Right here they’re.
- Unbeatable taste combo. The delicate sweetness of the vanilla, the richness of the caramel, and the quiet smokiness of the bourbon come collectively within the excellent marriage of flavors.
- Better of each worlds (butter and oil). I made a decision to make use of each butter and vegetable oil within the cake batter. The butter brings a stunning richness to the cake whereas the oil makes it splendidly moist.
- A novel buttercream. I used my favourite vanilla buttercream recipe and added a contact of bourbon to it. It’s silky clean in texture and wealthy in taste with simply the slightest trace of smokiness from the bourbon.
- Visible attraction. The white buttercream and the drizzle of caramel sauce give this cake a show-stoppingly elegant look. It’s the proper dessert for an engagement get together, a bridal bathe, or no matter different subtle occasion you have got in your calendar.
What You’ll Want
Right here’s what you’ll must make vanilla bourbon cake. Make sure you scroll to the recipe card under for exact measurements.
Bourbon Vanilla cake
- All-purpose flour – Make sure you measure the flour correctly. I counsel utilizing a meals scale or the spoon and stage methodology.
- Baking powder – Provides rise to the cake to assist in giving it’s fluffy texture.
- Salt – To intensify the flavors within the cake. Make certain to not depart it out.
- Unsalted butter – The butter ought to be at room temperature in any other case it gained’t cream correctly with the oil and sugar.
- Vegetable oil – The oil provides a bit of additional moist to the cake.
- Sugar – Common granulated sugar is used.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – Enable the eggs to come back to room temperature earlier than utilizing. They may combine extra easily and evenly into the batter.
- Milk – The milk also needs to be at room temperature in order that it mixes extra simply into the batter.
- Bourbon – I used Maker’s Mark, however be at liberty to make use of your favourite Bourbon.
Bourbon Vanilla Buttercream
- Unsalted butter – Begin with room temperature butter. Butter that’s too chilly gives you a lumpy frosting. Butter that’s melted will flip right into a runny frosting.
- Powdered sugar – For quantity and consistency. I exploit a good quantity of buttercream as a result of I prefer it to be stiff sufficient to brighten the way in which I like. Be happy to chop it down (or reduce down the general quantity of frosting), should you like a less complicated means of frosting it or identical to much less frosting.
- Vanilla extract – For taste.
- Bourbon – Additionally for taste. Once more, I used Maker’s Mark.
- Salt – You don’t have so as to add salt, but it surely does add a contact of taste and reduce down the sweetness only a contact.
- Bourbon caramel sauce – You’ll use this caramel sauce to fill the cake and add elegant drips to its exterior.
Methods to Make Bourbon Vanilla Cake
Right here’s a fast overview of learn how to make this scrumptious layer cake. You’ll discover extra detailed directions within the recipe card under.
Make the muffins, the caramel sauce, and the buttercream
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 levels F, line the underside of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and grease the perimeters.
- Mix the dry components. Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream. Beat collectively the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract till gentle in coloration and fluffy.
- Add the eggs. Combine within the eggs, separately.
- Put all of it collectively. Combine in half of the dry components adopted by the milk and bourbon. Combine within the remaining dry components.
- Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes.
- Cool. Enable the muffins to chill of their pans for a few minutes earlier than turning them out onto wire wracks to chill fully.
- Make the bourbon caramel sauce. Comply with my recipe under Bourbon Caramel Sauce and permit the sauce to chill to room temperature.
- Make the buttercream. Beat the butter till clean. Combine in half of the powdered sugar adopted by the vanilla, half of the bourbon, and the salt. Combine within the remaining powdered sugar and further bourbon if the frosting is simply too thick.
Construct the cake
- Flatten. Reduce the domes off of the muffins with a big serrated knife.
- Layer. Place the primary cake on a serving plate and unfold 1/2 cup frosting excessive. Pipe a dam of buttercream across the outer fringe of the cake and fill the dam with about 1/3 a cup of Bourbon caramel sauce. Place the second cake on high and repeat. High with the final cake layer.
- Frost. Frost the surface of the cake.
- Embellish. Use the remaining Bourbon caramel sauce so as to add a drip to the perimeters of the cake and to drizzle a round sample excessive of the cake. Use the remaining frosting to pipe a border across the high fringe of the cake.
Ideas for Adorning This Layer Cake
Vanilla bourbon cake is the proper dessert for any elegant celebration, particularly should you beautify it for the event. Listed here are some tips about learn how to do it.
- Enable the cake to chill. Rule no 1 of adorning a cake is to let the cake layers cool fully earlier than you frost them. If they’re nonetheless heat, the frosting will slide proper off of them.
- Examine up. Cease what you’re doing and take a look at my tutorial for frosting a clean cake. You’ll study all the pieces it is advisable know to get a clean coat of buttercream on this lovely dessert.
- Pipe like a professional. After frosting the surface of the cake, you’ll wish to pipe a border round its high edge. For this, you’ll want a piping bag. Whilst you can simply use a plastic bag with a gap reduce within the nook, I like to recommend utilizing a correct piping bag and becoming it with a enjoyable tip. I like Ateco tip 847.
- Use a squeeze bottle. As a way to add a caramel drip to the perimeters of the cake, I extremely counsel placing the bourbon caramel sauce in a squeeze bottle. For extra drip methods, try my tutorial on learn how to make a chocolate drip cake (simply use caramel as an alternative of chocolate).
Different Useful Ideas
Baking is a science and there are just a few easy suggestions and tips that you really want to remember for the very best consequence. Right here they arrive.
- Measure rigorously. Pay particular consideration to the flour. An excessive amount of flour will make the cake overly dense and dry and too little gained’t give it sufficient construction. I counsel utilizing the spoon and stage methodology (spoon flour right into a measuring cup and stage it off with a butter knife) or a meals scale.
- Room temperature components. The butter, eggs, and milk within the batter ought to all be at room temperature. The butter is not going to cream correctly with the oil and sugar whether it is too chilly and the eggs and milk gained’t combine easily and simply into the opposite components if they’re too chilly, which may result in over-mixing.
- Don’t skimp on creaming time. When creaming collectively the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla achieve this till the combination has turn out to be fluffy and has considerably lightened in coloration. It ought to take 2-3 minutes. This course of provides air to the batter, which contributes tremendously to the sunshine, fluffy texture of the completed cake.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the moist and dry components, don’t over-mix. This could trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop which can provide you a tricky, dense cake.
- Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl. As you add components and blend them in, scrape down the perimeters of the bowl sometimes. This may assist make sure that the entire components make it into the combo. Maintain this in thoughts when making the batter and the frosting.
- Take a look at my tutorials. This cake shouldn’t be solely stacked and frosted but it surely additionally has a filling which requires somewhat additional finesse. Take a look at my put up on Methods to Fill and Stack a Layer Cake to learn to do it.
Can I Put together This Bourbon Vanilla Cake in Advance?
Sure! Retailer the totally cooled cake layers in a cake service or in separate Ziplock baggage (get as a lot air out as potential) and retailer them at room temperature for as much as 2 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months. You too can make the frosting as much as 4 days prematurely and the caramel as much as 2 weeks prematurely. Retailer them in separate hermetic containers within the fridge. When the time comes, enable the cake layers to thaw (if relevant) and produce your buttercream to room temperature. Stack, fill, frost and beautify the cake simply as you usually would.
You too can make the entire cake a day or two prematurely. Retailer it in an hermetic cake service within the fridge. I like to recommend letting it sit out at room temperature for an hour or so earlier than serving. For extra data on correct storage, scroll to the following part.
Correct Storage
- Fridge. Seal the cake in an hermetic cake service or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. I like to make use of toothpicks to prop the plastic away from any decorations. If you happen to already sliced the cake, organize the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. Retailer the cake within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Freezer. Enable the cake to agency up within the freezer for a few hours earlier than wrapping the entire thing in a double layer of plastic wrap. Alternatively, organize slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. You possibly can retailer it within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Enable the cake to thaw within the fridge earlier than serving.
This cake is greatest loved at room temperature. So let it sit on the counter for about an hour earlier than slicing and serving.
Extra Layer Cake Recipes
I really like the creativity that layer muffins enable. You possibly can just about decide any cake taste, any frosting taste, and any filling and stack them collectively to make a splendidly elegant dessert. Listed here are a few of my favourite creations.
Recipe
Bourbon Vanilla Cake
Prep Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 23 minutes
Complete Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
Yield: 12-14 slices
Class: Cake
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
This elegant vanilla bourbon cake is made of three layers of moist, bourbon-infused vanilla cake layered with vanilla-bourbon buttercream and bourbon caramel sauce. Scrumptious!
Substances
Bourbon Vanilla cake
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 giant eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (ml) milk, room temperature
- 6 tbsp bourbon
Bourbon Vanilla Buttercream
- Bourbon caramel sauce
- 3 cups (672g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 cups (1380g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4–6 tablespoons bourbon
- Pinch of salt
Directions
For the cake:
- Put together three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside and grease the perimeters. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and put aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl and beat collectively till gentle in coloration and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the eggs separately, mixing till largely mixed after every. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make sure all components are nicely integrated.
- Add half of the dry components to the batter and blend till largely mixed.
- Slowly add the milk and Bourbon and blend till nicely mixed. The batter could look somewhat curdled, however that’s okay.
- Add the remaining dry components and blend till nicely mixed and clean. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make sure all components are nicely integrated. Don’t over combine the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffins pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Take away the muffins from the oven and permit to chill for about 2-3 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill fully.
- Whereas the cake bakes and cools, make the Bourbon Caramel Sauce and permit that to chill to room temperature.
For the frosting:
- To make the frosting, beat the butter till clean.
- Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and blend till clean.
- Add the vanilla extract, half of the Bourbon and the salt and blend till clean.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till clean. Add further Bourbon, as wanted, to get the appropriate consistency of frosting.
To construct the cake:
- To place the cake collectively, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the muffins in order that they’re flat. These muffins don’t have a big dome, however I like to verify they’re fully flat.
- Place the primary cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical.
- Unfold about 1/2 a cup of buttercream evenly on high of the cake.
- Pipe a dam of buttercream across the outer fringe of the cake, on high of the layer of buttercream you simply added. Fill the dam with about 1/3 a cup of Bourbon caramel sauce and unfold evenly. After filling the dam, stage off any extra. You need the highest of the dam to be even with the caramel sauce.
- Add the second layer of cake and one other layer of frosting, a dam and Bourbon caramel sauce.
- High the cake with the remaining layer and frost the surface of the cake. Check with my tutorial for frosting a clean cake, if wanted.
- Use the remaining Bourbon caramel sauce so as to add a drip to the perimeters of the cake, if desired. I additionally drizzled some sauce in a spherical round sample on high of the cake.
- Use the remaining buttercream to pipe a border across the high fringe of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847.
- Retailer cake in an air-tight container within the fridge. Serve cool, however not tremendous chilly. Cake is greatest if eaten inside 3-4 days.
Vitamin
- Serving Dimension: 1 Slice
- Energy: 1146
- Sugar: 136.2 g
- Sodium: 199.9 mg
- Fats: 55.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 156.1 g
- Protein: 5.3 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 185.2 mg
Key phrases: bourbon cake, bourbon vanilla cake, vanilla bourbon cake
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