Bourbon what?!?!

So I was helping my friend Celeste come up with ideas for a party she was throwing for her husband Nate.  After looking through Pinterest, she decided to theme it around Bourbon.  So as I helped her think of some fun ideas to execute and I came across the following picture and recipe that I personally wanted to try.

Decoration Idea for Nate	Cake Recipe for Matt
Source: Uploaded by user via Di on Pinterest	Source: bobvivant.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Maker's Mark Cake 

Since we already had a cake for the party (Bourbon Carrot Cake), this was just going to be a mini cake for decoration to be displayed by the Bourbon bar.  Any cake will do, the cake displayed was a 6 inch round cake with two layers.  Frosting was a buttercream dyed to a golden cognac color.  

Now for the finishing touch which really makes the cake . . the red wax.  So initially after looking at the  cake I found on Pinterest, I was actually going to use red fondant.  However, being crazy and over thinking it . . I decided that the fondant would not create the drippy edge look that the Maker's Mark bottle has.  So I thought back and remembered making a white chocolate ganache that dripped all over when I tried to make a beach-scape cake for Nicole.  Knowing that if the ganache was cold enough it would harden and hold the shape like the red wax.  Note this ganache must be made a day ahead to allow it to cool and thicken otherwise it will be too watery (and can be made 3 days before assembling the cake).

Red White Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 2 tbsp cacao nibs chopped
• 1 pinch of salt
• 6 ounces of white chocolate
• Red food coloring (I used a lot to obtain the deep red color)

1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine cream, cacao nibs and salt and bring to a simmer, remove from heat and steep for 30 minutes
2. Strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve and discard nibs then reheat until bubbles form around the edges
3. Place chocolate in a seperate heat proof bowl
4. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit, then stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth
5. Add food coloring until desired color is reached

When assembling the cake, be careful not to put too much at one time . . and know that it will continue to drip a little further than where you push it.  

Bourbon Pecan Carrot Cake - by Bob Vivant
This recipe is AMAZING . . . I've made this on 3 occasions and everyone has loved this cake.  I have also been told that I had a heavy hand when it cake to dipping/soaking the cake in Bourbon.

The first person that I made this for was for my client Matt.  He is one of the nicest clients I have ever worked for and he is very appreciative of the work we do (not to suck up if you are reading this Matt)

I once recall him saying he looked forward to the day when there would be someone on the team that could sit down with him and have a good whiskey.  So when I saw this recipe, I thought this would be a perfect cake for him for his birthday due to the Bourbon twist.  In addition, my mom used to decorate cakes and I found an old 80's cake topper that I knew Matt would know.  For those of you who can't recognize him, that's ALF . . and as I recently learned - Alien Life Form

Matt's Birthday ALF cake

Cupcake Version:

Additionally I made a cupcake version of this.  The recipe as is will give you about 12-15 cupcakes.  I assembled the cupcakes in two different ways, for experimentation, but also because I didn't get a chance to start this process until around 11pm, so I was looking for something quick so I could go to sleep.

1. Cupcake Pan Assembly - easiest and fastest
2. Paper Strip Assembly - longer but prettier

You may not even need to provide support when assembling these if you even put a ring of the cream cheese frosting to work as a dam for the liquid cheesecake.

Cut Cupcake in half

Dip bottom half in bourbon (your choice on how strong you want the cupcake to be), and place into cupcake tin.  Next, add a layer of cream cheese frosting, then layer of pecan mixture, and finally the  liquid cheese cake.  Take the top of the cupcake and dip it into the bourbon and place on top.  In the photo below you will see each layer added going clockwise.  Once done, cover and place in the freezer.

If you are tight on freezer space, this might be the better option.  I think this also makes the cupcake come out much prettier and stronger structurally.  The cupcake pan has space as you stack towards the top.  Similar to the above.

Cut the Cupcake in half and tip bottom layer into bourbon and place onto your plate.  Take a strip of parchment paper and wrap it around the base of the cake.  If you have plastic strips even better, but I don't mean plastic wrap as you need something firm but flexible to give support.  These paper strips will work like a spring form pan.

Add in your layers of yumminess.  Then add the top half of the carrot cake, don't forget to dip it into the bourbon.  Then move to the freezer.

Once complete your cupcake version bourbon pecan carrot cake should look like this.  See how beautiful the layering looks!

Before serving pull out of the freezer to thaw.  Once plated, remove the paper strip and . . . . Ta dAh!