Bourbon Vanilla Cake

This Bourbon vanilla cake is made with three layers of moist, bourbon-infused vanilla cake, bourbon caramel sauce and bourbon vanilla buttercream! Such a chic and engaging dessert that’s excellent on your subsequent occasion!

Bourbon cake with a couple of slices taken out of it.

Decadent Vanilla Bourbon Cake with Caramel Sauce

I like including a bit booze to my desserts. It could possibly 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, for those who take pleasure in tequila. All of them make superior desserts for an grownup gathering, big 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 like about this cake is that the bourbon is basically in a position to 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 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 motive to hop within the kitchen and get began on this vanilla bourbon cake? I’ve bought a number of 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 beautiful 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 right dessert for an engagement occasion, a bridal bathe, or no matter different subtle occasion you’ve gotten in your calendar.

What You’ll Want

Right here’s what you’ll have to make vanilla bourbon cake. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card beneath for exact measurements.

All-purpose flour – Be 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. Ensure to not depart it out.
Unsalted butter – The butter needs 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 – Permit the eggs to come back to room temperature earlier than utilizing. They may combine extra easily and evenly into the batter.
Milk – The milk must also 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 at liberty to chop it down (or minimize down the general quantity of frosting), for those who like an easier approach of frosting it or similar 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, however it does add a contact of taste and minimize 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 how one can make this scrumptious layer cake. You’ll discover extra detailed directions within the recipe card beneath.

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 edges.
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 colour and fluffy.

Whisking together dry ingredients for cake batter.

Creaming together butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla for cake batter.

Add the eggs. Combine within the eggs, one after the other.
Put all of it collectively. Combine in half of the dry elements adopted by the milk and bourbon. Combine within the remaining dry elements.

Adding eggs to creamed butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla to make cake batter.

Mixing together the wet and dry ingredients for bourbon cake.

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.

Vanilla bourbon cake batter divided between 3 cake pans.

3 bourbon cake layers on a marble counter.

Make the bourbon caramel sauce. Observe my recipe beneath 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 additional bourbon if the frosting is just too thick.

Cooling Bourbon Caramel Sauce after adding the bourbon, vanilla and salt.

Stirring vanilla buttercream in a mixing bowl.

Construct the cake

Flatten. Lower 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.

Topping a layer of vanilla bourbon cake with buttercream.

Spreading bourbon caramel sauce inside a border of vanilla bourbon buttercream frosting on top of a frosted layer of vanilla bourbon cake.

Frost. Frost the skin of the cake.
Enhance. Use the remaining Bourbon caramel sauce so as to add a drip to the edges 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.

Overhead shot of bourbon cake on a cake stand.

Ideas for Adorning This Layer Cake

Vanilla bourbon cake is the right dessert for any elegant celebration, particularly for those who enhance it for the event. Listed below are some tips about how one can 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.
Research up. Cease what you’re doing and take a look at my tutorial for frosting a clean cake. You’ll study every thing you must know to get a clean coat of buttercream on this stunning dessert.
Pipe like a professional. After frosting the skin 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 minimize 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 edges of the cake, I extremely counsel placing the bourbon caramel sauce in a squeeze bottle. For extra drip methods, try my tutorial on how one can make a chocolate drip cake (simply use caramel as a substitute of chocolate).

A slice of vanilla bourbon layer cake on a plate.

Different Useful Ideas

Baking is a science and there are a number of easy suggestions and tips that you really want to remember for the most effective 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 elements. The butter, eggs, and milk within the batter ought to all be at room temperature. The butter won’t 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 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 grow to be fluffy and has considerably lightened in colour. It ought to take 2-3 minutes. This course of provides air to the batter, which contributes enormously 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 may trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop which may give you a troublesome, dense cake.
Scrape down the edges of the bowl. As you add elements and blend them in, scrape down the edges of the bowl often. It will assist be sure that the entire elements make it into the combination. Preserve this in thoughts when making the batter and the frosting.
Take a look at my tutorials. This cake is just not solely stacked and frosted however it additionally has a filling which requires a bit additional finesse. Take a look at my publish on Methods to 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 baggage (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 may as well 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 convey your buttercream to room temperature. Stack, fill, frost and enhance the cake simply as you usually would.

You may as well 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 info on correct storage, scroll to the following part.

A slice of vanilla bourbon cake with a bite taken out of it on a plate.

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. When you already sliced the cake, prepare 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, prepare slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. You may 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 finest 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 like the creativity that layer truffles enable. You may just about choose any cake taste, any frosting taste, and any filling and stack them collectively to make a splendidly elegant dessert. Listed below are a few of my favourite creations.

Cake

Bourbon Vanilla Cake | Life, Love and Sugar

Decadent Vanilla Bourbon Cake with Caramel Sauce

Why You’ll Love This Bourbon Vanilla Cake

What You’ll Want