Kentucky Mint Julep Cake

JanetB-KY's Note:

I got the recipe for this this morning and have already made it. Oh my does my kitchen smell awesome. The batter tasted wonderful lol and I can't wait for the cake to cool to see how it tastes. One thing I did do differently though is I used 1 1/2 tsps. mint extract in the cake itself along with the Vanilla extract. If you do the glaze and the sauce, which I am doing, this isn't a quick fix but so far is seems worth the trouble. Also, I don't have any whiskey in the house, so I subbed white creme de cacao. I realize there is a major difference between the 2 liquors but I had to work with what I had. This may sound like a lot of steps, but it goes together very easily.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons Bourbon
• 12 ounces white chocolate chips (one bag)
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1 teaspoon white creme de menthe (see Note) or 1/2 teaspoon mint extract (see Note)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture& beat at low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 3 more minutes; pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly around bundt center.
4. Bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; ten minutes before cake should be done, prepare Bourbon Butter Sauce.
5. For the sauce, in a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 3 tablespoons water; stir until melted and combined but do not boil.
6. Remove from heat, continuing to stir for 2 minutes, then stir in Bourbon.
7. When cake is done and still warm from the oven, use a skewer to poke holes around the top of the cake and pour Bourbon butter sauce evenly over the top of the cake; let cake cool to room temperature in the pan before removing.
8. For the frosting, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted.
9. Remove from heat and stir in creme de menthe liqueur (or mint extract); let cool for 10 minutes, then spread evenly over the cooled cake.
10. Garnish with fresh mint leaves; I am also using white chocolate curls.
11. Chill to set chocolate ganache; take cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cutting to serve.

Reviews

[CarsonM]

This is a very aromatic and rich cake! I've had this recipe bookmarked for at least four years, so I was excited to finally get a chance to try it. I doubled the amount of bourbon butter sauce; the cake didn't absorb quite all of it, but I'm a sucker for syrup-soaked baked goods, and people commented on how moist the cake was. I also took JanetB's suggestion of adding some peppermint extract to the batter. I have to admit that, even being as huge a fan of peppermint as I am, I wondered how well it would work in a non-chocolate cake. But, as it turns out, the flavor (and the aroma) reminds me most strongly of Hickory Farms' Melt Away Mints, the pastel-colored nonpareil-covered butter mints that I've loved since childhood. In fact, people have come back to the cake just to get another glob of frosting. The only change I would make, I think, is increasing the amount of bourbon. I put in 2 tablespoons (with a doubled portion of sauce) and still there's just barely a hint of bourbon flavor. If you're not a big bourbon fan, though, that amount might be just right! Definitely a unique and interesting recipe, and one I'll be making again.