May 30: Pecan Molasses Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze

I found this recipe in my folder of clippings where it has, apparently, been hanging around for quite a while.  The clipping is from the March 2003 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  I am sure that I clipped it because the words "pecan" and "bourbon" beckoned to me.

As I read the recipe, I realized that it calls for nothing but staples from our cupboard!  Corn syrup, check.  Cake flour, check. Molasses, ditto.
Needless to mention the bourbon and pecans as we always have a bottle of Maker's Mark on hand and pecans in the chest freezer.  One of my Secret Service partners in Jackson, Mississippi used to say that "you don't need a gun, until you need it real bad."  The same can be said for bourbon and pecans.

I have also been waiting for an excuse to use a new Fleur de Lis bundt pan by Nordic Ware that I bought for myself as a birthday treat.  Although bourbon whiskey is named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, and not the family of rulers from France, I thought it apropos.  It is interesting to note that the eponymous county is no longer home to any distilleries, since they were all destroyed during prohibition.

The new pan created a gorgeous cake.  The recipe calls for adding half of the cake batter to the pan before the addition of the molasses and pecans to the batter so the top half of the cake is lighter in tone.

The glaze is full of buttermilk (another staple - for pancakes, cornbread, poached chicken), butter, sugar and bourbon.

It makes the cake shiny, flavorful and terrifically moist.  This cake turned out very well and is unlike the other bundt recipes in my arsenal.  Since it is composed of staples, it'll be easy to make this cake often.

Vive la Bundt!

Next Saturday: Spice Islands Cake