Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake for #BundtBakers

A thought occurred as soon as my fingers touched the bottle. I pulled it out of the cabinet and set it on the counter. It is the usual thing to do when these friends visit. We have wine and cocktails when they arrive. Anyway, I was thinking how much I like the smell and taste of bourbon in baked goods. That thought carried into my decision on baking a Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake.

Another small factor went into the decision. The theme this month for Bundt Bakers is Sprinkles. It was set by our host Terri of Love and Confections. I have a confession: I do not care for sprinkles and never have even as a kid. They are cute, fun, and these days come in all shapes and sizes. Yet I’ll pass. Luckily anything sprinkled on or in a cake qualified. Toasted chopped nuts fit the theme.

Okay, I admit I’ve used sprinkles before. I’ll use them again too. They are a lovely garnish for styling cupcakes, cookies, and cakes. It goes into the category of things food bloggers do for photographs. So the sprinkled ones you see in my photos were enjoyed by someone else. I had a plain one.

How is Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake? It is dense and loaded with bourbon soaked walnuts. It’s buttery, nutty, and topped with bourbon glaze and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts. This cake is definitely one to bake for anyone who enjoys bourbon. It’s also one for the holidays when boozy cakes like rum cake are popular.

Do you like sprinkles? Scroll down to find a list of bundt cakes with a sprinkling of something either in or on them. The recipes are a click away. There is a bunch of stunning cakes to see. Bundts are beautiful anyway and sprinkles can only add to the beauty. Take a look at No-Bake Bourbon Pecan Cookies or Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Cookies for more of my recipes with bourbon.

4.1 from 10 votes

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Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake

Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake is loaded with bourbon soaked walnuts, topped with a bourbon glaze, and sprinkled with toasted walnuts.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 12 to 16 servings

Author Renee

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 eggs at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners sugar sifted
• 3 tablespoons cream plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
• 2 teaspoons bourbon
• Pinch of salt

For topping:

• Toasted walnut halves
• 2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Stir together chopped walnuts and bourbon in a small bowl. Allow nuts to soak in bourbon for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
4. Beat eggs in a medium bowl until they are thick and light. Add eggs to creamed mixture. Beat on low to combine then on high until mixture is thick and fluffy. Note at first the mixture will look curdled but it is not. Just keep beating and it will smooth out.
5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Stir in bourbon-soaked walnuts.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread batter so it is higher at the side and against the tube. Place a square of brown parchment paper on the pan to cover the cake.
7. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool cake in pan for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Pour glaze over cake, place walnut halves on top, and sprinkle chopped walnuts on glaze.

For the glaze:

1. Stir together confectioners sugar, cream, butter, bourbon, and salt. Add more cream, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired glaze consistency is reached.

Recipe Notes

Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake is loaded with bourbon soaked walnuts, topped with a bourbon glaze, and sprinkled with toasted walnuts.

Recipe adapted from Nordic Ware Bundt Cookbook published in 2004 (no longer in print).

Are you looking for a festive cake to bake? Here are bundt cake recipes with sprinkles by talented bakers from around the world:

• Black Onyx Bundt Cake from Living the Gourmet
• Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake from Magnolia Days
• Bubblegum Frosted Funfetti Vanilla Bean Bundt from Baking in Pyjamas
• Bundt Cake Extra Chocolateado from la mejor manera de hacer…
• Celebration Confetti Bundt Cake from Cali’s Cuisine
• Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake from Tea and Scones
• Chocolate Sprinkles Sour Cream Bundt Cake from Spice Roots
• Chocolate Walnut Cake with Sprinkles from FoodJam
• Confetti Bundt Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting from How to Philosophize with Cake
• Crazy Coco Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs
• Eggless Vanilla Confetti Bundt Cake from SimplyVeggies
• Funfetti Bundt Cake from Liv for Cake
• Funfetti Bundt Cakes from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• ‘Guild the Lily’ Bundt from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Irish Butter Chocolate Sprinkle Cake with Ganache from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Jammin Jimmies Bundt from Noshing With The Nolands
• Nutella Bundt with Nutella Glaze from Food Lust People Love
• Oatmeal Cookie Bundt Cake with Sprinkles from The Spiced Life
• Orange Dreamscicle Confetti Cake from Our Good Life
• Pistachio Sprinkle Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Raspberry Funfetti Bundt Cake by Brunch with Joy
• Red Velvet Sprinkle Explosion Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
• Sprinkled Jelly Donut Bundt Cake from Making Miracles
• Sprinkles of Love Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Sprinkled Bundt Cake from The Freshman Cook
• Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Sprinkles from Baking and Creating with Avril
• Vanilla Bundt Cake with Sprinkles from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Vanilla Mini Bundts from Passion Kneaded
• Watermelon Bundt Cake from Eat, Drink and Be Mighty

What is Bundt Bakers? It’s a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Bundt Bakers Pinterest board for incredible bundt cake recipes and inspiration. Stacy of Food Lust People Love heads up our group and has a #BundtBakers page where you can find information and links to the recipes for each month.

How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our homepage.