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.

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:
12
Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake ingredients

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

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

  1. 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).

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake coating the pan with baking spray with flour

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  2. Combine liquid ingredients:

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

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake whisking together the wet ingredients

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  3. 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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake mixing together the dry ingredients

    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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake mixing the butter into the dry ingredients

    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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake mixing the batter

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  4. Add batter to pan:

    Spoon batter into prepared pan.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake batter in the pan before baking

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  5. Bake:

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

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake in the pan after baking

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  6. 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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake preparing the glaze

    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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake adding the teabags to the glaze

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  7. 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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake poking holes in the cake for the glaze

    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).

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake pouring the glaze over the cake

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  8. 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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake poking the cake with a skewer

    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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake brushing the glaze over the cake

    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.

    Southern Living Southern Hangover Cake on the plate to serve

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

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