Baking with Bourbon

There is always something nice about getting your own dessert, not a slice but a cute little cake just for me!   Our good friends Kevin and Lauren gave us some bourbon, maple syrup and butter as a gift at our Christmas party.   The intent was to make "Hot Buttered Maple Bourbon", which may still happen one day, however my first thought was how can incorporate these 3 items into a dessert.   So I did some searching and then some tweaking and tweaking and found Pumpkin Bourbon Cakes with a Maple Bourbon Glaze.  Oddly this uses my new favorite baking obsession Pecan Pralines, well at least that is what I told my self.    I digress.. so Kevin, Lauren and our Ottawa friends Stephan and Danielle were coming over for dinner so what better time to make these little cakes and crack open the bourbon.   


INGREDIENTS:


Pumpkin Cake

• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup chopped pecans  (again I used the praline pecans)

Bourbon syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp Bourbon
• 1 tsp. vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a bundt pan or mini bundt pan.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together brown sugar, butter, and eggs until very light and fluffy.  Add sweet potato and vanilla; beat to combine.
2) Combine flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the mixer and mix until just incorporated. Add the milk and combine. Add the remaining flour and combine.
3)  Finally, add the bourbon and 1 cup chopped pecans and stir in just until incorporated.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.
Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
4) Make Bourbon syrup:  Bring sugar and water to boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add butter, bourbon and vanilla and boil for another 2 minutes until it begins to thicken.   Remove from heat and brush cake with syrup.

These were quite nice, moist and just the right amount of bourbon.   I tried the cake with and without the glaze and enjoyed it both ways, even after the boiling the bourbon flavour was there but not over powering and the pecans added a nice crunch. 


MEG's RATING:  D-EEEE-LICIOUS   (Cakes with pumpkin just always come out so nice)