Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Grilled Cherries

1. Prepare a 10 cup bundt pan by brushing the inside (into all of the nooks and crannies) with a melted butter and a pastry brush, then lightly dust the buttered pan with an even layer of cake flour.
2. Prepare 5-7 wooden skewers by soaking them in water, this prevents the skewers from burning while grilling.
3. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350° F.

BROWN BUTTER BOURBON CAKE

1. Place ½ cup (1 stick) of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt completely. Just before it starts to brown it will begin to foam up. Slowly whisk or swirl the butter until it begins to turn a warm chestnut color, tiny brown flecks start to form on the bottom of the pan. This is a delicate process, so stay vigilant. You want the butter browned but not burnt. Once you’ve browned the butter pour it into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool, I generally stick it in the fridge to hurry this process along.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl then whisk by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining butter, (cooled) brown butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes, stopping to frequently scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer on a low speed, blend in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
4. Combine the bourbon and buttermilk in a small bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk-bourbon mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape down the bowl. Stop the mixture before the last flour addition and blend by hand with a spatula until the mix is just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread it out evenly. Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes, carefully rotating the cake halfway through the bake time.

BOURBON GLAZE

1. While the cake bakes; combine the butter, sugar and bourbon in a small saucepan over low heat, warm until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine. Sprinkle in sea salt flakes and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it in the pan. With a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake, creating small channels down into the cake. Slowly, pour ¾ of the glaze over the cake, reserving the remaining glaze.
3. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then gently plop it out onto a serving plate so the glazed part is on the bottom. Brush the top and sides with the remaining bourbon glaze. If the glaze has thickened, re-warm it over low heat.

GRILLED CHERRIES AND BLUEBERRY SPARKLER SKEWERS

1. While the cake cools, prepare the cherries and blueberries. Start by preheating the grill on medium heat. Skewer a handful of blueberries on each of the soaked wooden skewers.
2. Place the cherries directly on grill and cook over medium - medium/high heat for about 5-6 minutes, turning over halfway through. Grill until the cherries soften and barely brown.
3. Grill blueberry skewers directly on grill for 1-2 minutes on each side, just until they plump but before they burst.
4. Toss grilled cherries in a bowl with raw cane or sparkling sugar until they are coated in glitzy sparkles. Sprinkle the blueberry skewers with raw cane sugar.

WHIPPED CREAM

1. Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into the freezer and chill for 15 minutes.
2. Pour the whipping cream and sugar into the chilled mixing bowl. Whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks,around 5 minutes. When you take the whisk out of the cream, the peaks should hold firmly but have soft tips. Stop whisking before the cream turns grainy.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

1. Fill the bundt hole with grilled cherries and pile the cherries in a mound on top of the cake. Slide in the sparkly blueberry skewers, shooting out from the cake at all angles. Take a photo for IG, this cake is too pretty not to share. Slice and serve immediately with whipped cream and good buds.