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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake - Mother's Day



Happy Mother's Day to some of the bravest women I know.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've always viewed life as an experiment and cooking is certainly is part of it. Save for the people in my life, I am bored with theme and variation and will go out of my way to find and test something new. So, it should come as no surprise, that I decided to make a cake rather than the standard pie for Derby Day. I had a special cake in mind and decided to make it without a test run. After all, how bad can a cake made with bourbon and crème de menthe be? I'm happy to report that it wasn't half bad. The cake was delicious and the glaze was fine. I must admit to being disappointed with the frosting and next time I make the cake I'll use a mint or milk chocolate ganache to top it. This is an easy cake to make and I think those of you who try it will really like it. The recipe appears below.

I also want to wish all of you a Happy Mother's Day. I've been really blessed with the women in my life. I include all of you in that number. Those of you who are regular readers have met the wonderful women who helped raise and form me. They are especially close to me today, as is my mother who appears in the pictures below. She was an extraordinary woman who mental illness took from us long before age called her to the grave. It is wonderful to see her here when her world was still new and full of promise. One of these photos also appears in Brodie's Album, a retrospective of aviation pioneers that is kept in the Smithsonian Museum. She has a place there because she was one of the first stewardesses on a commercial airlines. The man in the second photo is my dad who was a public relations agent for the same airline.



Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Ingredients:
Cake
3 cups cake flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
Bourbon Butter Sauce
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons Bourbon whiskey
Mint Frosting
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon white creme de menthe liqueur or 1/2 tsp mint extract

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan..
2) To make the cake: Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a separate smaller bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 3 more minutes. Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly around pan. If using a bundt pan, bake for 50 minutes. If using a baking pan, bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Ten minutes before cake is done, prepare Bourbon Butter Sauce.
3) To make bourbon butter sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 3 tablespoons water. Stir until melted and combined. Do not boil. Remove from heat, continuing to stir for 2 minutes. Then stir in bourbon.
4) When cake is done and still warm from the oven, use a skewer to poke holes around the top of the cake. Pour bourbon butter sauce evenly over top of the cake. Let cake cool to room temperature in the pan before removing.
5) To make mint frosting: Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in creme de menthe liqueur (or mint extract). Let cool for 10 minutes, then spread evenly over cooled cake. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Chill to set chocolate ganache. Take cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cutting to serve. Yield: 12 to 18 servings.







One Year Ago Today: Strawberry Yogurt Pie (Mansikkapiiris)















Two Years Ago Today:
Kaiser Rolls









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66 comments:

  1. Happy Mothers Day Mary, those women who formed you did a grand job!

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  2. Such a pretty cake! Happy Mother's Day!

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  3. What great memories of you Mother and father. I miss my Mum so much but somehow she always seems to be around. I have so many of her 'things' that there are memories every where.
    Happy Mother's Day, the cake look fantastic. Take care Diane

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  4. The flavours in that cake sound amazing. Must try!! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Happy Mother's Day Mary, wishing you a great day:@)

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  6. Happy Mother's Day, Mary! I love the picture of your mom, she looks so very elegant. And thanks for always spoiling us with your wonderful recipes. The mint julep cake sounds fantastic!

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  7. Happy mother's day to you too!
    Glad to follow u !!!

    kurinjikathambam, Event: HRH-Healthy Summer, Roundup: HRH-Puffed Rice

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  8. Lovely Mother's Day post. I love the photos you shared. This cake looks light and delicious tooo.

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  9. Happy Mother's Day, Mary.

    I am sad that you lost your mom to mental illness and much too early. Sounds like you were blessed with other beautiful women in your life.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  10. I now know where your zest for life and travel comes from. Your mother was quite a pioneer...and beautiful. Happy Mother's Day to you and to your daughters.

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  11. Happy Mother's Day, Mary. The women in your life did an extraordinary job. Blessings to all ~ tanna

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  12. We have something in common - my grandmother was one of the first Swissair air hostesses!

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  13. Wonderful cake idea. Happy mothers day. I love the pictures of your parents.

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  14. This is such a lovely cake! Happy Mothers Day!

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  15. Happy Mother's Day to you Mary! The pictures you shared of your Mom and Dad are beautiful.

    I'm definitely hanging onto this cake recipe. Since I live in Kentucky I can't have enough Derby recipes.

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  16. How Southern, Kentucky Derby Mint Julip Cake, that is a wonderful photo and it looks delicious, and you can't scare me, what a hoot. Have a good day to day.

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  17. Mary,
    This cake looks delish. Will have to try it. I hope you have a wonderfully sweet mothers day.

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  18. Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to you, Mary. I love the little glimpse of your history that you've shared with us today.

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  19. The first time I had a mint julep was in Charleston, SC at a restaurant called Mint Juleps. The cake sounds wonderful Mary! It would be fun to make it for my husband as a surprise (reminder of the trip). I love the photos of your parents! Have a wonderful Mother's day Mary!

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  20. What a lovely cake for the Kentucky Derby or for Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to you, Mary! I hope you are spoiled today. :)

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  21. Have a wonderful Mother's Day, Mary. Your mom is beautiful.

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  22. Un saludo desde Almería (España)

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  23. Your mother was a beautiful woman...Happy Mother's Day!!! and the cake souns sensational.

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  24. So sweet photos!

    Happy Mother's Day to you too!

    Best wishes!

    Charo

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  25. Those pictures are so cool! Thanks for sharing them with us :) Lovely recipe as well, sorry the frosting wasn't 100 %. I'm sure the ganache will knock it out of the park next time.

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  26. What an interesting story about your Mother. She was a pioneer. Hope you have a wonderful Mother's day Mary.
    Sam

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  27. A very happy Mother's Day to you too, Mary! I hadn't realised it was in the States too - it is here in Turkey but in the UK it was last month which is all very confusing!

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  28. Happy Mother's day! Your cake is as expected... LOVELY!

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  29. Mary .... Happy Mother'sDay to you. Thanks for sharing with us the pic of your parents . Your mom was a beautiful woman ;) That cake looks great too.
    Have a blessed and fun filled day with your family,
    Elin

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  30. What a lovely cake.

    Happy Mother's Day!
    Magda

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  31. Cake looks yummy and milk chocolate would be delicious. Thanks for sharing the photos. I, too, was blessed with many wonderful women who have been there so many times for me. Wishing you a wonderful day!

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  32. Happy Mother's Day Mary! The cake looks gorgeous even without a thrilling frosting. Your mother sounds like she was a wonderful, amazing person! (Much like her daughter.)

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  33. That sign made me smile :) Happy Mother's Day!

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  34. It looks delicious :) I like a lot that you have tried new ways of doing it :)

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  35. Wow, I have to say that those photos are amazing. Your mother was pretty :) Happy mothers day!

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  36. Thanks for your sweet words on my blog =) Part of why I love blogging our stories/recipes so much is because they invite new friends like you.

    How fortuitous you posted recipes containing buttermilk and strawberries - two ingredients always in excess in our fridge. Look forward to baking up this cake later today! (The strawberry cheesecake evaporated and I need a new dessert for dinner...) Thanks for the inspiration!

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  37. Mary, I hope you are having a wonderful Mother's Day. I couldn't let the day go by without wishing you a happy one. Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos of your mother and father.

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  38. Oh, thank you so much for sharing those photos of your mother with us! They are fantastic and what great memories they must bring up for you. Happy Mother's Day, Mary! The cake looks gorgeous!

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  39. Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day! That sign is hilarious!

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  40. Happy Mother's Day! Love the photos, how awesome that your mother's picture rests in the Smithsonian!

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  41. Thank you so much for sharing those photos with us, they are awesome! And the poster is great too! :-)

    Have a good week

    ciao
    Alessandra

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  42. I know you had a wonderful Mothers Day Mary. Love the Derby inspired cake and glimpses into the past. Hugs:D

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  43. That is one PERFECT square of Julep! Superb! Happy Mother's Day Mary - Like you sign - have seen it before and enjoyed it with a smile - And that is x 3 for me!!!

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  44. This cake is wonderful looking

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  45. hi mary, thanks for sharing the photos with us and happy mother's day to you too!

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  46. Those are lovely photographs you shared. Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. And the cake looks wonderful.

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  47. I love the idea of bourbon in a cake, especially with the minty white chocolate frosting you have here! Happy mother's day!

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  48. Happy Mother’s Day to you! :)

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  49. Yum!!!
    Hope you had a wonderful day!

    Melinda

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  50. Happy Mother's Day, Mary! Lovely photos, and a lovely cake as well. :)

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  51. Your mom is beautiful. Happy mother's day to you. cake looks beautiful as always.

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  52. Thank you for sharing not just a delicious recipe but a part of your life as well. Your mother was so beautiful and I'm sure she was a very special woman, strong, ahead of her time and so sweet. She and the other women in your life made a great job with you! big hug from Fabi in MAdrid-Spain.

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  53. Happy Mother's Day! Love this boozy cake, but I can see how the chocolate mint frosting could be even better. Still looks and sounds divine!

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  54. Happy Belated Mother's Day! Thank you for sharing about your mom. :-) The cake looks awesome!

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  55. How about a chocolate-mint ganache? That would totally cover it!

    ...and now I may have to make that. Yum.

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  56. What an elegant cake this is...I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day, Mary!

    P.S. I love that sign in the 1st picture! :)

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  57. I love the photos of your mother! What a lovely tribute to her. I hope that you had a beautiful Mother's Day and I thank you for this unique cake recipe that's also perfectly timed with the Derby! Bye for now, Roz

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  58. Love the sign. :)
    And also the lovely cake. It just looks so perfect. Never heard of it. But since I had been in a baking hitch lately.

    I will take the recipe with me.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Mely

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  59. What an amazing looking cake. Hope you had a great holiday. Did you watch the Derby?

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  60. Hope you had a really lovely Moms day, the pictures are really lovely i love these pictures.
    An the ake awesome!! Gloria

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  61. Loved seeing the pictures of your parents and that is so neat that your Mom's picture is at the Smithsonian as part of our aviation history! The mint julep cake looks divine!

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  62. Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

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  63. Ha ha, got a laugh out of that sign Mary!

    Your mom was a flight attendant? Cool!

    We made mint Juleps for the first time Saturday watching the race. We did a money pool and drew horse names, that was fun!

    This cake looks dreamy!

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  64. A Happy Belated Mother's Day to you Mary!

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  65. Boy saw all of your blog. I don't like to cook anymore being just one but you certainly inspired me to try some of your goodies. Thanks for stopping by.

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