Kentucky Christmas Cake Recipes

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.

KENTUCKY BOURBON CAKE/WHISKEY CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl or jar, combine the raisins and pineapple. Add the bourbon, cover, and let soak for at least 8 hours or, for a more intense flavor, up to 48 hours.
• Drain the fruit, reserving 1 cup bourbon. (You can imagine what cooks do with any leftover bourbon.) Place the fruit and pecans in a large bowl, add the ½ cup flour, and toss to coat and separate any clumps.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven. Place a roasting pan or large baking pan on the lower rack of the oven and add 1-inch of boiling water. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Grease one 10- by 4-inch (16-cup) tube pan, two 9-inch springform pans or 8-inch (8-cup) tube pans, or four 1-pound coffee tins or 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pans, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper or greased pieces of brown paper bag, grease again, and dust with flour.
• To make the batter: Sift together the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
• In a very large bowl, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.Increase the speed to medium, gradually add the sugars, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the vanilla and, if using, zest.
• Add the flour mixture in 3 stages alternately with the reserved 1 cup bourbon, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until stiff but not dry, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Fold ¼ of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites.
• Stir in the fruit and nut mixture.
• Pour into the prepared pan, tapping to remove any air pockets, but do not pack down.
• Bake, rotating the pan every 45 minutes or so, until a wooden tester inserted in the center comes out clean or the internal temperature registers 200 to 208°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 3½ to 4 hours for a 10-inch tube pan, 3 hours for springform pans, 2¼ hours for 8-inch tube pans, and about 2 hours for loaf pans. Place on a wire rack and let cool in the pan, at least 2 hours.
• Remove the cake from the pan. The taste and texture improves as the cake ages. You can wrap the cake airtight and place in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
• Or to age the cake, wrap it in a cloth or double layer of cheesecloth dampened with bourbon, place in an airtight container or wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil, and let stand in a cool, dry place for at least 2 weeks.

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.

OLD FASHIONED KENTUCKY NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine milk and vanilla, and add alternately with flour mixture to egg mixture. Fold in nuts. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

TRADITIONAL CANADIAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Place all fruit in large bowl; add bourbon and soak for 2-4 hours
• Preheat oven to 300°F and grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans 2 1/2 inches deep or five 5 3/4 x 3 pans 2 inches deep
• Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter it (the original recipe was waxed paper)
• Cream together butter and brown sugar; beat in the eggs.
• Sift all dry ingredients; beat into butter mixture
• Add molasses and brewed black coffee or espresso to mixture; combine well
• Fold in the nuts and bourbon soaked in fruit
• Carefully pack the batter into the prepared pans almost to the top (I used an offset spatula to finish the tops of each cake)
• Place pans on centre rack of oven in a bain marie (place pans in a larger pan and pour hot water halfway up the sides); bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until toothpick comes out clean (the small cakes took 50 minutes, so watch carefully after 45 minutes)
• If the tops brown too quickly, place foil over the top
• Cool 30 minutes, then remove and set on wire rack
• Wrap carefully in a triple layer of cheesecloth that has been soaked in bourbon
• Seal tightly in aluminum foil and store in a cool dry place until the holiday season
• Once a week, remove foil, and brush additional bourbon onto the cheese cloth
• The longer it is stored, the more times it is dowsed, the more pungent and flavourful it becomes.

KENTUCKY BOURBON COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
• Using a large bowl, whisk together the cookie ingredients until combined
• Using a small ice cream scooper, scoot out some dough onto the cookie sheet
• Bake for 8-9 minutes
• Allow cookie to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan and placing onto a wire rack
• Continue to bake of the remaining batter
• Place cookies on a wire rack over another cookie sheet
• Using a small pot, combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the glaze onto each cookie and allow to harden before enjoying

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.