Whiskey Cake With Brown Butter Whiskey Glaze

You'll be licking that glaze right off the plate

By
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman portrait
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Tricia is a recipe developer and tester for Dotdash Meredith with a focus on baking and pastry as well as apassion for all things food-related. She has developed over 1,200 recipes, which have appeared both inmagazines, online, and in cookbooks alike. She is a former Baking and Pastry Editor with experience in foodstyling, video production, and crafting culinary curriculum for more than a dozen culinary and lifestylebrands.
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Published on 09/23/23
Whiskey cake with a brown butter whiskey glaze on a serving platter, with a slice removed

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 55 mins
Cooling Time: 2 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12 servings

This whiskey cake is a super moist and tender vanilla cake lightly infused with whiskey. Its crackly, sugary crust gives way to a lush, pillowy interior. The brown butter glaze starts off like a shiny, runny caramel and cools to a praline-like matte finish.

How Boozy is This Whiskey Cake?

While you can certainly taste the whiskey in this cake, it is not overly boozy. The real star of the show here is the browned butter glaze. Its nuttiness complements the toasty, caramel-y flavors of the brown sugar. The recipe makes plenty of the glaze, so you can drizzle half of it over the cake and save the rest for serving (you’ll want some with every bite, trust me).

In case you’re wondering, no, this cake will not get you drunk. Each serving contains a mere quarter ounce of whiskey (that’s 1 1/2 teaspoons). While part of the alcohol does cook off during baking, the cake will still contain some alcohol, so keep that in mind when serving.

Garnish With Salt

This cake also has a sparkly flaky sea salt garnish. While optional, I recommend including it as it really makes the flavors pop and gives the cake a salted caramel flavor. I recommend Maldon salt for this finishing touch, but any flaky salt will work. Just avoid kosher salt, fine salt, and chunky salts like Himalayan pink salt as they will make the cake too salty or will dissolve right into the glaze.

Use Unbleached Cake Flour

You’ll notice that this cake recipe calls for unbleached cake flour. Unbleached cake flour boasts a slightly higher protein content than bleached cake flour. The latter also tends to weigh less per same volume measure (cup for cup). In a pinch, you could probably make this with all-purpose flour, although the end product will not be as tender or moist. Use unbleached cake flour for the best results.

Tips for Making the Best Whiskey Cake

  • Get the bubbles out—Don’t be shy when it comes to tapping your Bundt pan on the counter. This process not only evens out your batter but also releases large air bubbles inside. This can make for a finer crumb throughout and a beautifully smooth crust that bakes more precisely into your pan’s eye-catching design. 
  • If you’re not sure, use a thermometer—An instant-read thermometer can help to most accurately gauge when your cake is ready to pull out of the oven. When inserted into the center it should register at least 198 F to 200 F. 
  • Timing is key—When it comes to bundt cakes, the time it cools in the pan is important. Leaving it in there for too little or too much time can increase your cake’s chances of sticking. The cake should still be warm when you turn it out of the pan, but it shouldn't be hot.
  • Glaze with haste—You’ll want to work fast when glazing your cake since it will start to set up as it cools.  
  • Extra glaze—If needed, any extra glaze can be microwaved on high in 10-second intervals, stirring between each, until loosened. Use it on the cake slices, of course, but also try stirring it into your morning coffee. You won't regret it, trust me.

Make Ahead

Since the cake needs to cool completely before glazing, you can make it a day ahead of time. After the cake has cooled, wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature. Glaze it right before serving.

What You'll Need to Make This Cake
Best Bundt Pans
A Great Bundt Pan
Commerce Photo Composite
A Good Whiskey
Commerce Photo Composite
Crunchy Flaky Salt

"Tender, moist, and surprisingly light. The whiskey flavor in the cake is not overly boozy. The real star of the show here is the browned butter glaze—it is so good! I could happily just eat the glaze with a spoon!"—Nicole Hopper

A deep brown bundt cake topped with a shiny caramel-colored glaze and flaky sea salt
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 1 1/4 cups (280 grams) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

  • 1 cup (213 grams) packed dark brown sugar

  • 5 large eggs at room temperature

  • 2 2/3 cups (320 grams) unbleached cake flour (preferably King Arthur)

  • 1 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3/4 cup (170 grams) sour cream, at room temperature

  • 1/4 cup whiskey

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • Baking spray with flour

For the Brown Butter Whiskey Glaze

  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup (107 grams) packed dark brown sugar

  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

  • 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

  • 2 tablespoons whiskey

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)

Steps to Make It

Make the Cake

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

    Ingredients to make a whiskey cake

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Beat 1 1/4 cups (280 grams) softened butter, 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, and 1 cup packed (213 grams) dark brown sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.

    A stand mixer with sugar, butter, and dark brown sugar

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Add 5 large eggs at room temperature one at a time, beating well after each addition.

    A stand mixer with eggs added to the butter-sugar mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Whisk together 2 2/3 cups (320 grams) unbleached cake flour, 1 teaspoon fine salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl until combined.

    A bowl of flour, salt, and baking soda being whisked

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  5. Whisk together 3/4 cup (170 grams) sour cream, 1/4 cup whiskey, and 1 tablespoon vanilla in a small bowl until well combined.

    A bowl of sour cream, whiskey, and vanilla

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  6. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined after each addition, about 2 minutes total.

    A stand mixer with whiskey cake batter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  7. Generously coat a 12- to 15-cup bundt pan with baking spray. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Firmly tap the pan on a kitchen towel-lined countertop several times to evenly spread the batter and release any air bubbles.

    A greased bundt pan filled with whiskey cake batter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  8. Bake for 45 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

    A baked whiskey cake in a bundt pan, resting on a cooling rack

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  9. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

    A whiskey cake on a cooling rack

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Make the Glaze

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make whiskey brown butter glaze

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. While the cake cools and about 45 minutes before serving, prepare the glaze. Cook 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter solids are amber in color and nutty in aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. At first the butter will crackle and pop, then it will quiet down and start to foam up. This is how you know it’s ready.

    A pot of foamy, brown butter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Scrape the brown butter into a medium heatproof bowl, scraping as much of the brown bits from the pan as possible. Set the brown butter aside and clean and dry the saucepan.

    A bowl of brown butter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Add 1/2 cup packed (107 grams) dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt to the same saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring frequently. Add the brown butter back to the pan and boil the mixture, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

    A pot of dark brown sugar, heavy cream, sugar, and salt

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  5. Remove from the heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons whiskey and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until combined. Let cool slightly, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a pourable but not runny consistency.

    A whisk mixing in whiskey and vanilla into the brown sugar-cream mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  6. Place the cooled cake on a serving plate and spoon the glaze over top as desired. Garnish with flaky sea salt, if using. The glaze will firm as it cools.

    A whiskey bundt cake topped with the brown butter whiskey glaze

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

How To Store or Freeze

  • Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If chilled, let the cake come back to room temperature before serving.
  • The baked and cooled unglazed cake can be wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, then covered in a layer of aluminum foil and frozen. Let the cake thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, or as needed. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving. Glaze and garnish as directed.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Try a different booze—Use dark rum or bourbon in place of whiskey for a slightly different but still boozy variation. 
  • Make it non-alcoholic—For a non-alcoholic version, replace the whiskey in the cake with the same quantity of sour cream. Skip the whiskey in the glaze and add vanilla to taste. 
  • Garnish with nuts instead of salt—Instead of flaked sea salt garnish with chopped toasted or candied pecans for a nutty crunch.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
592 Calories
33g Fat
67g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 592
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 20g 98%
Cholesterol 160mg 53%
Sodium 320mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 67g 24%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 45g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 63mg 5%
Iron 3mg 14%
Potassium 124mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)