Bourbon Vanilla Cake | Life, Love and Sugar

This Bourbon vanilla cake is ideal on your subsequent special day! It’s made up of three layers of moist, bourbon-infused vanilla cake. Between every layer lies a filling of decadent bourbon caramel sauce and the identical vanilla-bourbon buttercream that frosts the surface. Such a sublime and attractive dessert!

Decadent Vanilla Bourbon Cake with Caramel Sauce

I really like including a little bit booze to my desserts. It may well 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 wonderful choices. I additionally love my Margarita Cake, should you take pleasure in tequila. All of them make superior desserts for an grownup gathering, special day or perhaps a twenty first birthday.

Simply whenever 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 de facto capable of shine in opposition to the vanilla. Even the caramel sauce has some bourbon in it. The moist, tender layers of vanilla cake are infused with simply the correct quantity of bourbon and frosted with a clean, creamy vanilla-bourbon buttercream. The refined 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 cause to hop within the kitchen and get began on this vanilla bourbon cake? I’ve received a number of for you. Right here they’re.

• Unbeatable taste combo. The refined sweetness of the vanilla, the richness of the caramel, and the quiet smokiness of the bourbon come collectively within the good 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 singular 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 enchantment. 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 celebration, 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 to scroll to the recipe card under for exact measurements.

Bourbon Vanilla cake

• All-purpose flour – Make sure to measure the flour correctly. I recommend 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. Ensure to not depart it out.
• Unsalted butter – The butter ought to be at room temperature in any other case it received’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 – Permit the eggs to return to room temperature earlier than utilizing. They are going to 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 offers 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 embellish the best way I like. Be at liberty to chop it down (or reduce down the general quantity of frosting), should you like an easier manner 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, nevertheless it 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.

How one can Make Bourbon Vanilla Cake

Right here’s a fast overview of the way to make this scrumptious layer cake. You’ll discover extra detailed directions within the recipe card under.

Make the truffles, 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 elements. 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, one by one.
• Put all of it collectively. Combine in half of the dry elements adopted by the milk and bourbon. Combine within the remaining dry elements.

• Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes.
• Cool. Permit the truffles to chill of their pans for a few minutes earlier than turning them out onto wire wracks to chill utterly.

• Make the bourbon caramel sauce. Observe 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 truffles 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 prime and repeat. Prime with the final cake layer.

• Frost. Frost the surface of the cake.
• Adorn. 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 prime 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 recommendations on the way to do it.

• Permit the cake to chill. Rule no 1 of adorning a cake is to let the cake layers cool utterly 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 be taught all the things it is advisable to know to get a clean coat of buttercream on this stunning dessert.
• Pipe like a professional. After frosting the surface of the cake, you’ll wish to pipe a border round its prime 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. With a purpose to add a caramel drip to the perimeters of the cake, I extremely recommend placing the bourbon caramel sauce in a squeeze bottle. For extra drip methods, try my tutorial on the way to make a chocolate drip cake (simply use caramel as a substitute of chocolate).

Different Useful Ideas

Baking is a science and there are a number of easy suggestions and methods that you really want to remember for the very best final result. Right here they arrive.

• Measure fastidiously. Pay particular consideration to the flour. An excessive amount of flour will make the cake overly dense and dry and too little received’t give it sufficient construction. I recommend 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 elements. 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 received’t combine easily and simply into the opposite elements 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 accomplish that till the combination has develop into fluffy and has considerably lightened in coloration. It ought to take 2-3 minutes. This course of provides air to the batter, which contributes vastly to the sunshine, fluffy texture of the completed cake.
• Don’t over-mix. When combining the moist and dry elements, don’t over-mix. This will trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop which may give you a tricky, dense cake.
• Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl. As you add elements and blend them in, scrape down the perimeters of the bowl often. It will assist make sure that the entire elements make it into the combo. Preserve this in thoughts when making the batter and the frosting.
• Try my tutorials. This cake just isn’t solely stacked and frosted nevertheless it additionally has a filling which requires a little bit further finesse. Try my submit on How one can Fill and Stack a Layer Cake to discover ways to do it.

Can I Put together This Bourbon Vanilla Cake in Advance?

Sure! Retailer the absolutely cooled cake layers in a cake service or in separate Ziplock luggage (get as a lot air out as attainable) 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 upfront and the caramel as much as 2 weeks upfront. 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 upfront. 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 subsequent 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. In the event you 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. Permit 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’ll be able to retailer it within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Permit 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 truffles enable. You’ll be able to 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.

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Recipe

Bourbon Vanilla Cake

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  Writer: Lindsay Conchar
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  Prep Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
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  Cook dinner Time: 23 minutes
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  Whole Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
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  Yield: 12-14 slices
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  Class: Cake
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  Technique: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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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!

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Elements

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 massive 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

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Directions

For the cake:

1. 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).
2. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and put aside.
3. 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.
4. Add the eggs one by one, mixing till largely mixed after every. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make certain all elements are nicely included.
5. Add half of the dry elements to the batter and blend till largely mixed.
6. Slowly add the milk and Bourbon and blend till nicely mixed. The batter could look a little bit curdled, however that’s okay.
7. Add the remaining dry elements and blend till nicely mixed and clean. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make certain all elements are nicely included. Don’t over combine the batter.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the truffles pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out with a number of crumbs.
9. Take away the truffles from the oven and permit to chill for about 2-3 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill utterly.
10. Whereas the cake bakes and cools, make the Bourbon Caramel Sauce and permit that to chill to room temperature.

For the frosting:

1. To make the frosting, beat the butter till clean.
2. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and blend till clean.
3. Add the vanilla extract, half of the Bourbon and the salt and blend till clean.
4. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till clean. Add extra Bourbon, as wanted, to get the correct consistency of frosting.

To construct the cake:

1. To place the cake collectively, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the truffles in order that they’re flat. These truffles don’t have a big dome, however I like to ensure they’re utterly flat.
2. Place the primary cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical.
3. Unfold about 1/2 a cup of buttercream evenly on prime of the cake.
4. Pipe a dam of buttercream across the outer fringe of the cake, on prime 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.
5. Add the second layer of cake and one other layer of frosting, a dam and Bourbon caramel sauce.
6. Prime the cake with the remaining layer and frost the surface of the cake. Discuss with my tutorial for frosting a clean cake, if wanted.
7. 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 prime of the cake.
8. Use the remaining buttercream to pipe a border across the prime fringe of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847.
9. 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.

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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