Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe

SERVINGS: 12
Ingredients:
For the Cake: 
  • Cooking Spray 
  • 1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour  
  • 1/2 cup Dry Milk Powder 
  • 6 tablespoons Cornstarch 
  • 4 teaspoons Baking Powder 
  • 1 teaspoon Salt 
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened 
  • 1 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar 
  • 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil 
  • 3/4 cup Milk 
  • 4 Large Eggs, room temperature 
  • 3/4 cup Bourbon 
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract 
Buttered Bourbon Sauce: 
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter 
  • 1/3 cup Water 
  • 1/2 cup Sugar 
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt 
  • 1/4 cup Bourbon 
  • Blackberries to garnish 
Preparation:
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.  
  2. Spray a 12-cup tube or bundt pan with cooking spray. Set aside. 
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the dry milk, the cornstarch, the baking powder and the salt. Set aside. 
  4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  
  5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. It will look like crumb topping.  
  6. In another bowl whisk together the oil, the milk, the eggs, the bourbon, and the vanilla extract.  
  7. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the crumb mixture and mix until combined. (Pouring the liquid in slowly is important. The batter has a high ratio of liquid and will be thin almost like a thick crepe batter, but if you add the liquid too quickly you will get lumps that never go away no matter the amount of mixing!) 
  8. Pour the batter into the pan and bake on the center rack until the top is golden, center is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted, about 50-60 minutes. 
  9. Meanwhile, you can make the bourbon sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, the water, the sugar, and the salt. Stir and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon. It is going to bubble and splatter a little so be careful. 
  10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the cake using a wooden skewer. Clean and dry the pan so that you can place the cooled cake back inside the pan. Poke a few holes into the top. Evenly pour the bourbon sauce onto the cake. Let the cake sit for 30-60 minutes (up to overnight) to absorb the sauce. To serve, remove the cake from the pan and garnish with whipped cream and blackberries. 
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