Bourbon Praline Pound Cake & Wyoming Whiskey

May 4th was last year’s Derby Day in Louisville, Kentucky. This year’s race should have taken place two days ago on May 2nd (the first Saturday in May). This is the first time since 1945 when the Kentucky Derby wasn’t run on the first Saturday in May; and the third time in history, the Derby hasn’t taken place in the month of May. What does today have to do with this post? Well, Derby Day = mint juleps = Kentucky bourbon. Today’s post is all about bourbon and a few adventures associated with it–all completely innocent I promise!

The home of bourbon is Kentucky. It’s a dichotomy. There’s the rolling green hills, pampered race horses, and countless bourbon distilleries. But there’s also rat-hole highway hotels. (I’ll get back to those delightful bourbon distilleries!) Over the years, we’ve zig-zagged our way across Kentucky many times. Several summers ago, on a return trip from Wyoming to Virginia, Sons A & B, myself, the Parents and their dog found ourselves in Winchester, Kentucky. It was getting late and we were looking for a place to roost for the night.

I’m sure Winchester is a cute, historic wayside just off of Interstate 64. But at that moment in time, we were too exhausted to explore and just wanted to find a place to stop. The Parents sought out reasonably priced rooms (AKA cheap), which accepted pets. Value Stay it was! Decades ago, this sad shadow of a Super 8 was probably wonderful. In August of 2013, it was anything but!

The first of our five senses to be assaulted was our fine-tuned smellers. Upon entering the hazy, hand-print smeared glass door, aromatic smells (most notably curry) accosted us. It was about dinner time, so no big deal. With hotel keys in hand (remember the ones with the flat, plastic oval?), Sons A and B and I checked out our room of respite. As Sophia Petrillo from the Golden Girls might say, “picture it: Winchester, 2013…”

Squishy, not-so-shag, chocolate-colored carpet. Yellowed, peeling wallpaper. Stained, polyester bedspreads in Aztec prints that would send Montezuma into a raving seizure. A 70’s something, saffron-colored tub dotted with burn marks from years of toilet-sitting, cigarette smokers. And the piece de resistance?! Sheets complete with hair. Lots of hair! And long! The motel matron wasn’t too thrilled when I requested clean sheets, free of hair. She didn’t even offer to have a housekeeper put them on for us. Let’s just say, we spent the night wondering how many bugs we’d take home with us. Note to reader: Do. Not. Stay. At. The Value Inn in Winchester. Pay the extra $10 to get a better room!

Fortunately, Kentucky holds much fonder memories. Woodford Reserve, Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark… For bourbon drinkers like the Hubby, Kentucky is a wonderland. I guess if you drink enough of it, you’re in your own personal wonderland. Just make sure the white rabbit doesn’t show up! Nonetheless, we know first hand how the signature red wax is placed on Maker’s Mark bottles.

Son A and B are seasoned distillery visitors (no sampling of course!). After enough tours, they were pretty good at recalling the bourbon-making process. Blend grains (corn, barley, rye, and sometimes wheat), mix with water to boil into a foul-smelling fermented mash, distill it off, barrel, store in rack houses for months or years on end, and bottle. If you’re really into the bourbon making process, check out Whisky.com’s narrative. Before you ask, Jack Daniel’s is a bourbon. But solely for marketing purposes, it’s called Tennessee Whiskey. Letting the bourbon filter through sugar maple charcoal gives Jack’s finished spirit a unique flavor profile. However, it’s still bourbon and is in Tennessee.

If you’re really into Maker’s Mark like we are, sign up to be a Maker’s Mark Ambassador! It’s easy to do and FREE. After passing a pop quiz on Maker’s Mark history, enter in your information and type what name you’d like on a barrel of bourbon. After the bourbon has aged (about 5-7 years), you can purchase a bottle from the barrel with your name on it. Maker’s Mark also sends it’s Ambassadors quirky goodies each year around the holidays. We’ve amassed quite the collection to date: glasses, stir-sticks, pins, sun-catcher… The bottle socks were comfy. We aren’t fancy-schmancy enough to use the sealing wax and stamp. Tucked somewhere in the house is a cute bottle Christmas sweater. You get the idea. Fun swag!

But I can’t round off this post without giving a nod to Wyoming Whiskey! Wyoming Whiskey is another bourbon, made quite similar to Maker’s Mark, but further west beyond Kentucky. Founded in 2017 in the teeny-tiny town of Kirby, Wyoming, lore says the head distiller once worked for Maker’s Mark. After a few years of refining their grain blend and process, Wyoming Whiskey is quite smooth and delightful! Compared to the distilleries in Kentucky, Wyoming Whiskey is a smaller operation. But it was the first of it’s kind in the state, and is operated by native “Wy-home-ans,” using home-grown grains. Like Maker’s Mark’s Ambassador program, Wyoming Whiskey offers it’s fans a Whiskey Baron VIP status (also free).

Situated mid-state in Hot Spring County, be careful as you cruise down State Highway 20. Don’t blink or you might miss Kirby and it’s 92 inhabitants. At a glance you might want to sail on down the road, but Kirby is worth stopping at! Before taking a tour at Wyoming Whiskey, a burger at the “downtown” Kirby Bar & Grill is a must. Their burgers are hand-formed, substantial and scrumptious. The dining room area is quaint and clean. The staff is exceptionally friendly and accommodating. Our resident cheeseburger-loving guy completely agrees after several visits!

Now that you’ve been somewhat amused with my ramblings, here’s the recipe associated with this brown-liquor based adventure. No, it’s not a cheeseburger. Although, the Hubby is known to add splashes of bourbon to his homemade burger mixture. Since today was last year’s Derby Day, I’m putting on my fanciest, foo-foo hat and sharing my Bourbon Praline Pound Cake recipe, featuring Maker’s Mark bourbon.

In good Southern food-comfort, this cream-cheese based pound cake has a tender crumb texture flavored with butter, vanilla and, yep, bourbon. The pecan topping is a nod to the quintessential Southern candy, the pecan praline (“pray-lean”). The bourbon can be adjusted to your tastes; or completely eliminated and replaced with vanilla. One bite and your mouth will be an ambassador or baron for Bourbon Praline Pound Cake’s scrumptious flavors!

Bourbon Praline Pound Cake

Print Recipe

In good Southern food-comfort, this cream-cheese based pound cake has a tender crumb texture flavored with butter, vanilla and bourbon. The pecan topping is a nod to the quintessential Southern candy, the praline.

• Author: Erin Thomas
• Prep Time: About 30 Minutes
• Cook Time: About 1 Hour + 20 Minutes
• Total Time: About 1 Hour + 50 Minutes
• Yield: 12–16 Servings 1x

Ingredients

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Cake:

1–8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

1–1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla + 1 tsp. bourbon*

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cups milk (whole or 2%), at room temperature

1/4 cup bourbon, to pour over cake after baking*

Praline Topping:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup bourbon*

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted**

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Instructions

To Make Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Spray a large bundt pan (9 or 12 cup volume) with nonstick baking spray or butter and flour.  Set aside.

Using a standing or hand-held mixer and a large bowl, blend cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mixture should be light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, again beating well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla and 1 tsp. bourbon.  Add 1-1/2 cup flour, alternating with the milk and finishing with the remaining 1-1/2 cup flour.  Stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.  When cake is done, a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.  Set pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, poke the top of the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick all over.  Pour about half of the remaining 1/4 cup bourbon over the cake’s top.  Let cool for another 15-20 minutes.

To Make Praline Topping:

As the cake is cooling, and after pouring part of the bourbon over it’s top, prepare Praline Topping. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup bourbon.  Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil.  Boil for a minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in toasted pecans.  The mixture will be somewhat grainy and thick.

Assembling the Cake and Praline Topping: 

Flip the cake onto a serving plate and remove the pan.  Poke the rounded top of the finished cake with the wooden skewer or toothpick all over.  Pour the remaining bourbon evenly over the top.  Pour warmed Praline Topping over the baked cake.  Serve immediately.   The cake will keep at room temperature in a tightly-sealed container for up to one week,

Notes

*If bourbon is not your thing, substitute the 1 tsp. bourbon in the Cake for an additional 1 tsp. of vanilla.  Omit the bourbon to pour over the baked cake, and substitute 2 tsp. vanilla for the 1/4 cup bourbon in the Praline Topping.

**To toast chopped pecans, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chopped pecans on a baking sheet.  Toast for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let pecans cool before putting into Praline Topping.

A clean, food-safe spray bottle can be used to evenly spray the 1/4 cup bourbon over the baked cake.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Slice (16 Servings)
• Calories: 533
• Sugar: 51 g
• Sodium: 155 mg
• Fat: 25.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 14.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 69.4 g
• Fiber: 0.8 g
• Protein: 6.8 g
• Cholesterol: 131 mg