The Healing Powers Of A Southern Hangover Cake

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This is our Southern take on the Italian hangover cake; ours is made super Southern with our use of bourbon and a glaze that’s flavored like lemony sweet tea thanks to limoncello. It's a hair-of-the-dog sort of cake, as the alcohol burn is quite present (as it should be; we don't want to cook off the alcohol). The cake itself is wonderfully moist, plush, velvety, tender, and soft. When you cut into the cake, you'll see parts where the interior has darkened from the glaze seeping in. The butter in the glaze tends to make the tea bags less porous, so you'll need to press the bags occasionally to release more tea into the glaze.

Ann Taylor Pittman

Published on July 27, 2024

Southern LIving Southern Hangover Cake sliced and ready to serve — Photo:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Active Time:

24 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 12 mins

Servings:

Ingredients

Cake:

Baking spray with flour
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups cake flour (about 10 2/3 oz.)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. table salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

Glaze:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
1/3 cup limoncello
1/4 tsp. table salt
2 family-size tea bags

Directions

Prepare oven and Bundt pan:

To prepare cake, preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray (or coat with regular cooking spray and dust with flour).

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Combine liquid ingredients:

Whisk together bourbon, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cream the butter into the flour:

Place flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at low speed until well combined, 20 to 30 seconds.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Add softened butter to bowl; beat on low speed until mixture is smooth and resembles cookie dough, about 2 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

With mixer on low speed, gradually add about one-third of egg mixture; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Repeat process in two more batches with remaining egg mixture. Scrape down sides of the bowl; increase mixer speed to medium and beat until batter is creamy and thick, about 2 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Add batter to pan:

Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Bake:

Bake at 325°F until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Make cake glaze:

To prepare glaze, while cake bakes, place butter and water in a small saucepan; heat over medium until butter melts. Add sugar; cook over medium until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in bourbon, limoncello, and salt.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Pour mixture into a 2-cup measuring cup; add tea bags, making sure they’re submerged in liquid. Cool glaze as cake bakes, pressing gently on tea bags occasionally.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Poke holes in cake and add glaze:

As soon as cake comes out of oven, poke several holes over the top (what will eventually be the bottom) with a skewer.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Pour about 3/4 cup glaze evenly over cake. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes (glaze will soak into cake).

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Remove cake from pan:

Slide a thin knife around edges and center of pan; carefully invert cake onto wire rack. Poke holes all over top and sides of cake.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Place rack over cake plate or platter; occasionally brush remaining glaze over top and sides of cake as it cools until all glaze is used.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

When cake has cooled completely, lift it off the rack and place on the cake plate or platter to soak up glaze that dripped onto the plate.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox