When your friends move away it's hard not to take it personally and question everything. Was I not enough for you? Did you not enjoy spending time together? Did I not make you enough baked goods? Will we still be friends after you leave? I realize how ridiculous that is but I still worry about staying close while living so far away. They always say things like "It's not that far, I will be back to visit all of the time" which is comforting in the moment but you know it's not true. When faced with the reality of them actually moving it's enough to send you to the bar to order yourself One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.
It's a sad day today because my buddy Chris Bierbower is moving back to the Bay Area, which really isn't that far away and we honestly do visit all of the time. But, it's going to be strangely quiet without his goofy laugh and animated storytelling. We have a tight knit group of buds around here and we are like family. In fact, we even have a text group called SB Fam so Chris' departure is really shaking us up. To send him off properly, I wanted to bake him up something extra special and considering his nickname is One Bierbower, he's obviously a lightweight, I had to incorporate one beer into the mix.
You know that old song, it comes to mind when you're feeling sad and need to drink your blues away, it inspired the cake for Chris' farewell; One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake. Not only did we drink away our sad last night but also we also got to eat our feelings with this One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake, together an a family, an SB family.
Bundt pans are the best because they do all of the hard work for you by creating a sculptural masterpiece for the eyes and more importantly, the belly. This One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake starts with a browned butter base that brings a nutty depth the the bourbon laced batter. The cake is layered with a pleasant butterscotch chip surprise throughout the center and the whole thing gets sauced in a bourbon laced, salted butterscotch glaze that's strong enough to ease your troubles. If all of that booze isn't quite enough, I serve this One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake with an ice cold beer right in the bundthole. A crisp and light beer pairs nicely with the rich cake and if you're lucky enough to be sharing the cake with your buds, bring a whole six pack.
We all raise a bottle and a One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake to you and your new adventure Chris. You will be dearly missed but we'll visit soon, I swear.
Recipe
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake
Description
This One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Bundt Cake is fully loaded with rich browned butter, smooth bourbon, hidden butterscotch chips, a boozy butterscotch glaze & One crisp cold beer right in the center.
Ingredients
BROWN BUTTER BOURBON CAKE
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 4 eggs (at room temp)
- 1 cup buttermilk (at room temp)
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 2 teas vanilla extract
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips
BUTTERSCOTCH GLAZE
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
Instructions
BROWN BUTTER BOURBON CAKE
- 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.
- 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.
- Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl then whisk by hand.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining butter, (cooled) brown butter and brown sugar 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.
- Whisk the buttermilk, honey and bourbon together 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.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle the butterscotch chips on top of the first layer of batter. Top with the remaining batter and smooth with a spatula. 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. Allow to cool in the pan.
BUTTERSCOTCH GLAZE
- While the cake bakes; combine the butter, brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat, warm until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine. Continue cooking over medium low heat until the syrup starts to thicken and bubble up, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the bourbon and sprinkle in sea salt flakes, whisk to combine. Set aside.
- With the cake still in the pan, use a wooden skewer to 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.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then gently flip and 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.
- Just before serving the cake, stick an ice cold beer or your choosing right in the center of the bundthole and crank One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.
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