How To Decorate A Cake Like Bourbon

Vanilla block layers are soaked with tongue-tingling bourbon and filled with southern apple butter. Bourbon-vanilla frosting is topped with cherry-red ganache, which pays homage to the wax-sealed bourbon bottle that holds its star ingredient.

This time of yr always brings out my pensive side. I tend to spend a lot more time thinking and less time doing, and so I've been fumbling a bit trying to get back into a work routine. I hateful, some days I can't even write a proper 'to-do' listing unless I have the right type of lined paper and blackness ink pen in front of me. Perhaps that should be a resolution – less thinking more doing!

I've been making notes in my recipe journal since last November for a bourbon layer block. I've decided that information technology is fourth dimension to move forrard with something warming, possibly better described as glowing, with spirits.

Did you notice the block's artful was taken direct from the Maker'southward Marking canteen? I dear the drippy wax cap effect and translated information technology into a cerise ganache cake glaze. I even made some 'wax' seals with marble-size pieces of ruby-red fondant and a wax postage. If yous're a regular reader of this blog, and then yous already know of my obsession with wax stamps (for a refresher see hither and here). I found the 'Thousand' initial stamp here, although you could apply 'West' for whisky or 'B' for bourbon (or 'A' for Amy and and then forth).

The cake layers are rich with dark-brown carbohydrate and a hefty 1/ii cup of Maker'south Mark bourbon. I suggest making the cakes the solar day before y'all plan to assemble and serve the block. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. This seals in moisture and sets the crumb and so the layers tin all-time receive a generous brushing of bourbon simple syrup.

I used sorghum molasses in the cake layers and in the frosting. It's an ingredient that's uniquely southern and dearest to my centre. You can find the brand I used – and what I consider to be the best quality sorghum – for purchase here. It's a little like molasses but not quite equally nighttime. If, for some reason, you can't procure sorghum in your geographic location and so regular molasses may be used in its place.

Since this block has quite a few steps, I put together a pic tutorial of its creation. Information technology'due south not a difficult cake to brand; information technology just requires lots of layering of succulent ingredients. Here's the gist of information technology:

After the cake layers are broiled and leveled, bourbon simple syrup is generously drizzled and brushed on elevation of each layer. Tip: I always make simple syrup in the microwave; it just takes about 1 minute 30 seconds!
A thin layer of spiced apple butter is spread on top of ii syrup-infused cakes. This gives the overall dessert some needed acidity and dissimilarity. Apple butter actually compliments the flavor of bourbon, too. Tip: If you can't find spiced apple butter, then stir i/eight teaspoon basis cinnamon into the 6 tablespoons called for in this recipe.
Utilise a generous ane/2 cup of frosting to fill each cake layer (the motion-picture show is what my generous one/ii cup looks like – so, about 1/two cup +3 tablespoons).
Spread the frosting as evenly as possible over the apple butter.
Carry on with stacking and spreading with apple butter and frosting
Cover the cake in a thin layer of frosting (nibble coat) and refrigerate until business firm.
While you wait for the cake to chill, make the ruddy ganache. Chop blood-red candy melts (as well called processed coating) into small pieces.
Combine information technology with heavy cream and heat in the microwave at xxx 2d intervals until information technology can be stirred shine. Let the red ganache correspond near 20 minutes, or until it thickens slightly.
After the crumb-coated cake chills, cover it with a terminal layer and refrigerate again. Slowly spoon the ganache effectually the superlative edge of the cake – do this sparingly at first then you lot can gauge the 'drippy-ness' of the ganache.
Spoon the remaining ganache over the top of the cake, beingness conscientious not to overflow the edges of the block. You may non take to apply all of the ganache.

Now, you could cease after the drippy reddish glaze pace and have a perfectly beautiful and delicious block to offer guests, but the leftover bourbon-vanilla icing should not exist wasted. I transferred it to a pipage handbag fitted with a large star tip and piped swirls of icing on the top edge of the cake.

The finished cake is dusted with just a buss of cinnamon. This is a nice tie-in with the spiced apple butter inside the block layers. Regarding the cake'due south overall season, I'd accept to stick with my description of 'glowing'. It'due south richly infused with unmistakable bourbon flavour, but not overtly tongue-tingling.

Bourbon Vanilla Layer Block (Maker'south Mark Cake)

I suggest making the cake layers a 24-hour interval ahead of assembly. Stack them between sheets of parchment and embrace them in plastic wrap. The next twenty-four hour period the cakes will exist soft and the crumb will be well ready. Sorghum syrup can be institute at specialty stores and online (run into blog post for links). Prepared spiced apple butter is used in this recipe, and tin can be found in the jams and jellies section at the grocery store.

Prep Time 35 mins

Melt Time 25 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Bourbon cake layers

1 cup 2 sticks, 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
2 cups 405 one thousand light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup 80 m sorghum molasses
vi large eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla excerpt
3 cups/360g all-purpose flour
i/4 teaspoon common salt
three/four teaspoon baking soda
4 oz. sour foam
1/two cup 120 ml bourbon whisky (I used Maker's Mark throughout this recipe)

Bourbon simple syrup

1/two cup 100 chiliad granulated sugar
ane/2 120 ml cup water
2 tablespoons bourbon whisky

Vanilla-bourbon frosting and filling

1 1/2 cups 3 sticks, 12 oz. unsalted butter, softened
ane 1/2 lbs. confectioners' sugar
1/iv loving cup 80 g sorghum molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla edible bean paste or pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon whisky
6 tablespoons spiced apple butter

Red ganache

6 ounces red candy melts candy blanket finely chopped
v tablespoons heavy foam

Wax seal décor and other

1 walnut sized lump of red ready-made rolled fondant
Wax seal postage I used "K" initial for Maker'southward Marker
one/two teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make the cake layers: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray (or grease pans and line bottoms with parchment). Utilize Bake Even Cake Strips to the outside of the pans if yous have them.
Beat together butter and brownish sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, nigh 3 minutes. Add together the sorghum and vanquish until incorporated. Scrape down bowl with a spatula. Add eggs 1 at a time, chirapsia well after each improver. Vanquish in vanilla.
Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. In a split up basin, combine the sour cream and bourbon. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, with the mixer on low speed, alternating with sour cream mixture and starting and ending with flour mixture. Scrape down the mixing basin with a large condom spatula and plow the concoction over several times to ensure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
Divide batter between pans (this works out to exist virtually i 1/ii cups per pan). Bake until golden and cakes bound back when pressed in their centers, about 21-27 minutes. Permit cakes cool in pans for 5 minutes. The cakes should pull away from the sides of the pan. Capsize cakes, remove pans and let absurd completely on a wire rack. Level the cakes if needed (you may skip this part if your Broil Fifty-fifty Cake Strips worked correctly).
Make the simple syrup: In a microwave-safe bowl combine the water and sugar. Cook at 100% power for 1 minute xxx seconds. Stir well until the carbohydrate is completely melted (yous can likewise make this on the stove top in a saucepan over medium-high heat if you don't have a microwave). Add bourbon; drizzle on/brush syrup over cake layers. Use equally much or as little of the syrup every bit desired (I had 1/4 cup left over).
Make the vanilla bourbon frosting: Cream the butter until smooth in an electric mixer on high speed. Add the sugar and beat on depression speed until incorporated, then on high speed until fluffy. Add the sorghum and vanilla edible bean paste. Beat on loftier speed until light and fluffy. Scrape downwardly the bowl and turn the frosting over a few times to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. Crush in the bourbon; whip for 1 minute.
Thinly spread iii tablespoons of the apple tree butter on a block layer. Identify the cake layer on a cake stand. Summit with a generous 1/2 cup of vanilla bourbon frosting; top cake layer with a second cake layer. Spread the remaining 3 tablespoons apple tree butter on elevation of the second block layer, peak with generous i/2 cup of frosting. Identify final cake layer on top. Encompass the block with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) and refrigerate until firm. (Exist sure to embrace remaining frosting with a damp newspaper towel to prevent drying.) Cover chilled cake with a terminal smooth layer of frosting. Chill the cake again in the fridge while you prepare the cherry-red ganache. Transfer remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip.
Brand the blood-red ganache: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chopped red candy and heavy cream. Place in the microwave and heat at 100% power at 30 second intervals, stirring well between heating (almost 1 minute total cook fourth dimension). Alternatively, you may use a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Permit ganache cool until slightly thickened, near 20 minutes at room temperature. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Gently and slowly, spoon a pocket-size corporeality of ganache over the edge of the cake allowing information technology to period over the sides in drippy fashion (some of the ganache will drip off of the cake, and then place it on a surface you don't mind getting drippy – read: not your finest table linens). Embrace any bare spots on pinnacle of the block by spooning on ruby ganache. You lot may non have to use all of the ganache.
Utilize the piping handbag of reserved frosting to piping swirls of frosting around the superlative edge of the cake.
Make the wax seal décors: Knead the rolled fondant until it is well pliable and non glutinous (knead in a tiny amount of powdered saccharide if it remains gluey). Roll into 6 marble-sized assurance and flatten each brawl with the wax postage. If the fondant sticks to the wax seal, gently pull it off to reveal the design. Allow the fondant seals to dry until firm, most xv minutes. Place the seals upright and alternately on every other frosting swirl on top of the cake. Dust the entire cake lightly with the basis cinnamon.
The alcohol component does a wonderful job of preserving the cake at room temperature, but I chose to store the block in the refrigerator overnight because of the apple butter filling. Wrap the block well or shop in an closed cake keeper subsequently it is cut. E'er bring to room temperature earlier serving.