This delicious bourbon bundt cake starts with a boxed cake mix and adds a flavorful date paste that will take this cake from basic to decadent. Topped with a bourbon caramel sauce, this easy recipe is a great holiday dessert to serve year after year.
Place the dates, baking soda and boiling water in a medium bowl.
Let sit for 15-20 minutes to soften.
When time is up, scoop out the dates and add them to the food processor. Reserve the liquid. Blend up the dates to make a paste. Should take about 2 minutes.
Add small amounts of the soaking water, as needed, to the paste. It should be loose enough to blend into the batter but not super runny.
In a large mixing bowl add dry cake mix and dry pudding powder. Mix quickly.
Add oil, bourbon, milk and use a hand mixer to mix well.
Add in one egg at a time, beating with the hand mixer between each egg.
Add the date paste to the batter. Use a hand mixer to mix well.
Spray the bundt pan with non-stick spray.
Add the batter to the bundt ban and bake for about 40 minutes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the bourbon cake from the pan.
For Bourbon Caramel
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.
Mix in brown sugar and stir for 2 minutes.
Mix in heavy cream and stir for 2 minutes more. Mix constantly. (It may bubble slightly, but don't bring to a full boil).
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla, salt and bourbon.
Notes
You can add a little bit of raw sugar to the sprayed pan before adding the batter for a cool texture on the top of the cake.
If you want a little bit of crunch in the cake, add some chopped pecans! It would pair perfectly with the flavors in this cake.
Make sure to cook the cake all the way through. If the bundt cake starts to get a little too brown, cover the top with some aluminim foil.