Kentucky Christmas Cake Recipes

KENTUCKY BOURBON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch tube pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Soak raisins and cherries in 2 cups of bourbon or whiskey for 48 hours. Before making cake, drain well and reserve the bourbon.
• In a separate bowl, mix flour, nutmeg and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, cream butter with the white sugar. In a separate small bowl, cream yolks and brown sugar until very light.
• In a very large bowl, combine the two sugar mixtures and blend well.
• Alternately add flour mixture and reserved bourbon in three stages, mixing well with each addition.
• Add soaked fruit and fold in. Add nuts and fold in.
• In a clean medium bowl, whip egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter until evenly distributed.
• Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven and bake for 4 to 5 hours at 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Ovens vary, so watch the baking time. Test cake with wooden pick. (May take longer than 5 hours).
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out. When almost cool, brush sides and inside hole heavily with bourbon. Wrap cake with bourbon soaked cheesecloth, then with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight and saturate again with bourbon. Cover with plastic wrap and then with foil and store for at least 2 weeks in a cool dry place.

KENTUCKY BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, 2 cups sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Blend in buttermilk, 1 cup of butter, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 4 eggs. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Prick holes in the still warm cake. Slowly pour sauce over cake. Let cake cool before removing from pan.
• To Make Butter Sauce: In a saucepan combine the remaining 3/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and the water. Cook over medium heat, until fully melted and combined, but do not boil.

KENTUCKY BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• To make batter: In a large beater bowl cream the butter.
• Gradually add the sugar; creaming until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs all at once and beat at HIGH until thick and creamy--at least 5 minutes.
• Add milk and blend thoroughly.
• NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE BUTTERMILK OR SOUR MILK ADD 2 TABLESPOONS OF VINEGAR TO A ONE CUP MEASURE THEN FILL TO ONE CUP.
• STIR AND LET SIT FOR 5 MINUTES.
• In a small bowl combine flour, salt, powder and soda.
• Add to batter all at once and beat for at least 10 minutes.
• Batter will be very thick and creamy.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Generously grease 10" inch bundt pan.
• Turn batter into pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 55-60 minutes until top springs back when touched lightly in center.
• Meanwhile prepare the butter sauce by combining the sugars, hot water and butter and stirring over low heat until butter is melted.
• Do not boil!
• Remove from heat and add vanilla.
• Let cake sit on a rack for 5 minutes after baking.
• Poke deep holes all over cake with a long skewer (a long knitting over crochet needle works well because they're thick).
• Pour warm butter sauce slowly over cake and letting it soak into holes and down between sides of cake and pan.
• Cool completely before removing from pan.
• If desired sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

KENTUCKY CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F and grease and flour a 10" tube pan.
• Soak the nutmeg in the whiskey for ten minutes.
• Stir together pecans, raisins, and 1/4 cup flour; set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated.
• Fold in remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, soaked nutmeg and pecan/raisin mixture until well combined.
• Spoon into prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away slightly from the edge of the pan.
• Let stand in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack for complete cooling.
• Store in an airtight container.

KENTUCKY BUTTER POKE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour in pan.
• Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place pan on cooling rack.
• Immediately, in medium microwavable bowl, beat 8 oz cream cheese and the butter with electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and creamy. Beat in milk. Microwave uncovered on High 30 to 50 seconds or until smooth and thin enough to pour.
• With tines of fork, poke holes almost to bottom of warm cake about every 1/2 inch. Pour 1 cup of the glaze mixture over warm cake. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir almonds into remaining mixture, and spread over top of cake. Refrigerate 1 hour 30 minutes or until topping is set before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.