For all of you bourbon lovers, this one’s for you. A lovely, light, yellow cake drenched in a cherry bourbon syrup, frosted in a bourbon buttercream and topped with maraschino cherries. What could be better? Seriously though, what could actually be better that this? Not much, that’s what. I love this Manhattan Cake. I think it looks so elegant and its flavor is sensational. It pairs nicely with, well, a Manhattan, an old fashioned, really any bourbon drink. But it also is lovely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, perhaps even a butter pecan? Well, now I’m just day-dreaming. I think this is one of my favorite, unique cakes I have ever made. It is something that is very special to me, and I hope it becomes a showstopper in your own home. Grab a cheap bottle of bourbon, and get to baking! You’re gonna be happy you did.

What type of bourbon should I get?

Look, since we are baking, we really aren’t trying to put a $40+ bottle of bourbon into this cake. Truly, a $15 bottle will suffice. The bourbon I used for this Manhattan cake was Trader Joe’s brand, but I adore Four Roses as well; each are less than $20 for 750 mL. A lot of bourbon goes into the frosting, try 1/2 cup or so, but trust me on this, it will turn out perfectly. By the end of frosting, most of the alcohol has evaporated and you are left with a delicately flavored frosting that will rival any other you’ve ever tasted.

The only other bourbon in this recipe is in the simple syrup that you soak the yellow cake with before stacking and decorating. The simple syrup soak helps to keep the cake moist without making it stodgy. It is delightful, and I am sure you’ll love it!

Print Recipe

Manhattan Cake

Light and boozy, this manhattan cake is sure to wow any party guests. Soaked in a bourbon cherry simple syrup and topped with maraschino cherries, does it get any better than this?

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: alcohol dessert, bourbon, bourbon cake, manhattan cake, maraschino cherries

Servings: 16

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1½ cups Unsalted Butter
• 2½ cups Granulated Sugar
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 3 Eggs
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1½ cups Buttermilk

For the Simple Syrup:

• ½ cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ cup Water
• 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
• 2 tablespoons Bourbon Whiskey
• 1 tablespoon Maraschino Cherry Juice
• 1 tablespoon Vermouth

For the Frosting:

• 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1½ cups Unsalted Butter
• ½ cup Bourbon Whiskey
• 2 tablespoons Vermouth

Instructions

For the Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8" cake rounds.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time and continue to beat for 1-2 minutes after the last addition. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
• In a separate medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
• In three parts, begin alternating additions of flour and buttermilk to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. First, add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until just combined. Then, add ½ of the buttermilk and mix until just distributed. Repeat with the remaining ⅔ of flour and ½ buttermilk until the last ⅓ of flour is your last addition. Beat until no streaks of flour remain.
• Pour into the prepared pans, evenly distributing the batter and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from the pans

For the Simple Syrup:

• Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once it is boiling, remove from the heat and add the orange zest, bourbon, cherry juice and vermouth. Whisk together and set aside to cool.

For the Frosting:

• Beat the powdered sugar, salt and butter together on low speed until combined. Add the bourbon and vermouth and beat until combined. Once totally combined, whip on high for 2 miuntes until light and fluffy.

For Assembly:

• Once the cakes are cooled and removed from their pans, use a pastry brush to soak them with simple syrup. A light soaking is sufficient. Once each side of every cake has been syruped, begin to assemble the cake.
• Stack one layer, then add frosting, continue until there is frosting between each layer and then frost the outside. Decorate as you please, and top with extra maraschino cherries if you so desire!

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