Pumpkin Maple Bourbon Cake
Only thing that beats pumpkin cake...is Pumpkin Maple Bourbon Cake! Features beautifully flavored pumpkin layers and cream cheese frosting!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 740kcal
Equipment
- large piping bag + star tip (linked is a set that contains both - I used the tip most similar to the 2D piping tip)
- small piping bags + tips (linked is a set that contains the bag & tip I used - similar to the Wilton 4B tip)
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake Layers
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 5 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup Bourbon I used Eagle Rare
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons maple flavoring
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 6 ounces cream cheese (¾package; softened)
- ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks, softened)
- 4 ½ - 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon bourbon (I used Eagle Rare)
- 1-2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 3-4 drops Orange gel food coloring (save and add later; for decorating)
Decorations
- Small piping bag & tip – this set has been one of my favorites!
- Large piping bag & tip – I usethis set of reusable large bags & tips more than almost any of my others!
- 1 Tablespoon gold sugar pearl sprinkles
- Gold sprinkle mix optional - the gold sprinkle mix I used has been discontinued, but this gold sprinkle mix is almost identical!
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8 inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
- Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices) in a stand mixer until fully combined.
- Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture starts to look like crumbs.
- Add in eggs, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix the pumpkin puree and bourbon into the buttermilk and pour the mixture into the mixer bowl slowly, on a low speed. Add in maple and vanilla, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for 20-30 seconds.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part).
- Bake for 33-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from pans, and cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a great time to make your frosting!)
- Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled - be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before leveling or they may crumble or break.
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
Maple Bourbon Filling
- This step is optional, but I wanted a little bit more kick in between the cake layers, so I took about ¾ c of frosting from the mixer bowl and stirred in 2 teaspoons of maple extract (/mapeline) and 2 Tablespoons of Eagle Rare bourbon – OMG, it was SO good! Maaaybe the best part of the cake right here.
Assembly
- Once your cakes are cool, level them (if needed/desired). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler. Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
- Pipe a rim of cream cheese frosting around the outer edge, and spread half of your maple bourbon filling in the center.
- Add your next cake layer on top. Repeat the process with the rest of your cake layers, adding your last cake layer on top. (I put mine on upside-down so make shaping the frosting on top of the cake easier).
- Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like - a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
- Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part. This is optional, but I made my last layer of frosting thin, creating a semi-naked cake style with bits of the cake layers showing.
Onto the fun part! Decorating!
- Add a bit of orange food color to the rest of your frosting, turning it a light orange. Transfer a bit of frosting to both a large and small piping bag - I used a star tip on my large bag and a I wanted a bit of an ombré effect up the side of the cake, so I piped more light orange at the top than the base.
- Add a few more drops of orange food color to the remaining frosting, and continue piping small dots/rosettes to the side of your cake until a wide stripe down the front is covered.
- I added a rope border with a mix of the light and dark frostings – you can see the process in my video, or this real-time video tutorial shows the entire process!
- Add a few small swirls/spots of frosting to your cake top, and decorate the frosting with gold sprinkles to your liking.
- Annnd you’re done! Step back and admire your beautiful cake!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 740kcal | Carbohydrates: 105g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 32g
Did you make this Pumpkin Maple Bourbon Cake?
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