Kentucky Bourbon Cake

Yesterday, I was sitting in my Policy class thinking about how much I would have loved to have a glass of wine or a beer in my hand. The topic of discussion yesterday was substance abuse. We talked a lot about different forms of substance abuse, but since we had taken a midterm the day before and had several large projects due this week all we could think about was Happy Hour. 

I had already made this Kentucky Bourbon cake and taken it in a couple weeks ago. But it sure would have gone with the topic of discussion quite well.

I made this cake for the Cake Slice Bakers group. Every October is bakers' choice since October marks the end of the baking year for that year's book.

As I was looking through the book and wondering if I should make one of the cakes that I've missed or try a new one, I ran across the Kentucky Bourbon cake and immediately closed the book. I had found my cake

I am so glad I chose this cake! It was simple to make and amazingly delicious! The glaze poured onto the bottom of the hot cake seeps into the crumb making it moist and flavorful. Then pouring the remaining glaze over the top of the cake creates a glaze doughnut type texture. This cake was definitely a winner! And I didn't hear any complaints from my fellow students or professors.

So this past week was midterm week. I can't believe that I'm already halfway through my first semester of Grad school. It's so crazy! Unfortunately, I had a mid-term breakdown on Thursday evening. I've heard that a number of us had the same kind of breakdown. Fortunately, I have a couple Godiva truffle flights so I ate my feelings that night. That's what a good foodie does right? But, I made it through that and now it's time to pick myself back up and keep going. Yes, it's stressful. Yes, it's hard. But the best things in life don't come easy.

My internship is also going really well. I'm sad that I'm only on the unit for 8 hours a week. I wish I was there every day. But I guess getting the education is kind of important. So I'll keep going to class and appreciate the time I have at my internship while I'm there. And make the most of it. 

How are things going in your life? Do you have anything new happening? Are you planning on making this cake? Because you absolutely should. You won't regret it! I really wish I had a piece of it right now. Yum! If you are feeling brave, take a few minutes to check out the other Cake Slice Bakers October cakes. You can find the links to their blogs at the bottom of this post! 

Kentucky Bourbon Cake

Adapted from Vintage Cakes

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperatures
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Glaze:

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Directions:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well blended.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Blend in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. In a small bowl, combine bourbon and buttermilk.
6. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop to scrape down sides of bowl. Stop mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and blend it in by hand with a rubber spatula.
7. Spread the batter evenly into a prepared bundt or fluted metal tube pan.
8. Place pan in oven and bake until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 40 to 45 minutes.
9. To make the glaze: In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the butter, sugar, and bourbon and heat just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine.
10. Remove cake from oven and, while leaving it in the pan, immediately poke holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick. Pour 3/4 of the glaze slowly over the cake, set aside remaining glaze.
11. Allow cake to cool in pan for 30 minutes then flip it out onto a serving plate so glazed side is on the bottom.
12. Brush or drizzle the remaining glaze over the top of the cake (if glaze has thickened, rewarm it over low heat.
13. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits and Giveaway Winners

Hello there!

I am writing to you from my spanking new computer!!

Do you feel different?? I do! It's so sleek and pretty.

In case you are wondering, I got an HP Envy14 with an i5 processor. His name is Zelos and we were made for each other!

He came all the way from Shanghai China just to be with me. It was meant to be.

Anyway, enough about me and my new beloved.

Let's talk about you. Let's talk about the giveaway I recently hosted. This giveaway was pretty easy to figure out the winners. Only 2 people entered in the giveaway correctly so those are the 2 winners!

Amy Beth Marantino and Avril!! 

Please send me your addresses ladies. You can email me at mannadonn[AT]msn[DOT]com

Now, onto the biscuits!

My Baby Sis started staying with me recently and she loves breakfast. But what she REALLY loves for breakfast is savory foods. So, whereas I make pancakes, she makes eggs with sausage and veggies. 

She decided one day that it would be awesome for us to have some biscuits with our biscuits so I quickly set about to finding us a recipe.

My Baby Sis was doing great making the biscuits, until she started cutting the butter into the flour that is. I ended up taking over and making the biscuits myself. Now she teases me constantly and says I refuse to let her bake anything. (We won't mention how I took over the next thing she tried to bake either)

So we made biscuits. And they were good!

They were flaky and buttery yet dense and moist all at the same time.

The best part about these biscuits though?? Not having to wait for yeast to rise! These biscuits are quick and easy and can be whipped up any morning while you are making your savory breakfast. 

Let's bake!

Whisk together your dry ingredients.

Then mix up your butter and buttermilk. Combine with the dry ingredients.

Drop the biscuits onto a parchment lined baking sheet. At this point the recipe said to bake them THEN brush with butter...but I didn't read the recipe right so I brushed them with butter BEFORE I baked them.

Either way. Bake these babies up until they are golden brown and crispy.

Smother with jam, serve, and enjoy!!


Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Adapted from Lick The Bowl Good

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Ingredients:

• 2 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 2 Tablespoons, melted, for brushing on biscuits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk and butter.
4. Pour butter mixture over dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spoon until just combined and dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Using a greased 1/4 cup measurement, measure and drop dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Space dough about 1 1/2 inches apart.
6. Bake biscuits until tops are golden brown and crisp, about 12 to 14 minutes.
7. Brush biscuits with remaining 2 Tablespoons melted butter (I did this step before baking), remove biscuits to wire rack and allow to cool completely.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Syrup

I. Love. Breakfast.

But not the quick, cereal type breakfast.

I love sitting down for a nice, well made breakfast.

My favorite thing to do is on a Sunday morning, wake up and go out for breakfast. Mmmmm....breakfast.

This year, on Mother's Day, I decided to make a huge brunch for the mothers in my family. I invited my mother, my sisters, and my niece. It was a beautiful spread and I had made so much food that we ended up having to call the dads over as well to help us eat it all. LOL!

Now, Sunday breakfast has become a sort of tradition. My family will come over and I will make them breakfast. Right now we are stuck on eggs in a basket. But we were enjoying these pancakes pretty much every Sunday for a month or two.

When I ran across this recipe for buttermilk pancakes, I knew instantly that I needed to try them. And I did.

Seriously, it was every Sunday! I would make double, triple, and finally quadruple batches just so I could freeze the leftovers and have them available until the following Sunday. They are that good.

For JerBear and Little Butt I added some chocolate chips to part of the batter. They are very smitten with them, let me tell you.

And of course, what are pancakes without homemade syrup?? It just so happens that I had a copy of the syrup recipe my grandma used to use. So I made syrup.

You just can't get better than homemade buttermilk pancakes with hot syrup.

What really pleases and surprises me is that this recipe actually doesn't take very long.

So grab some buttermilk and your family together and let's have breakfast!

Get the syrup cooking so it can be done by the time the pancakes are done. Heat some water and sugar in a saucepan. Add some maple extract. Bring it to a boil then leave it alone so it can cook.

Whisk together your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs then add that to the dry ingredients.

Mix in the butter then let it sit while the griddle heats.

In 1/4 cup increments, pour the batter onto the hot skillet and cook them up.

Top with some extra butter (for good measure) and some of your maple syrup.

Serve and enjoy!!


Buttermilk Pancakes
Retrieved from Liv Life

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Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled; plus more for serving 
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 cups buttermilk 
• 2 large eggs 
• Vegetable oil for the griddle 
• Maple syrup for serving (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. 
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk gently until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated; stop before the batter is evenly moistened. 
4. Add the cooled melted butter and mix just until the batter is evenly moistened (there will be lumps). 
5. Let the batter rest while you heat the griddle.
6. Heat a griddle or a large skillet over medium heat (I set my electric skillet to 325 degrees F) until drops of water briefly dance on the surface before evaporating. Lightly oil the griddle. 
7. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake, spacing them about 1 inch apart. 
8. Let cook undisturbed until bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Check the underside of each pancake to make sure it’s nicely browned; then flip. Cook until the second side is nicely browned, about 1 minute more. 
9. Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven (set oven to 200 degrees F) while you repeat with the remaining batter.
10. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!!

Maple Syrup

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoons maple extract

Directions:

1. Combine water and sugar in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir frequently until sugar dissolves.
2. Stir in maple extract and allow mixture to come to a boil. 
3. Reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer, undisturbed, for about 20 minutes. 
4. Cool 10 minutes before serving.