BOURBON PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE – The Southern Lady Cooks

This Pumpkin Spice Cake is one you will want to make again and again. If you love pumpkin this is the perfect Fall cake!

If you love this recipe, you may also want to try our delicious Pumpkin Cobbler. It’s super easy to make and wonderful with ice cream.

❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS CAKE

This cake is made with some of our favorite spices and then you add pumpkin and it’s just so good. The bourbon gives it a wonderful flavor but we have made it without the bourbon and it’s still delicious. This dessert is versatile and one your family will love during the Fall or for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

🍴KEY INGREDIENTS

• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• eggs
• sugar
• oil (I used Olive)
• vanilla flavoring
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• ground cloves
• allspice
• salt
• buttermilk
• 1/2 cup bourbon (If you don’t use alcohol, you could just soak your raisins in water)
• pumpkin
• raisins
• walnuts or pecans

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

• butter 
• cream cheese
• confectionery sugar
• cinnamon
• ginger
• nutmeg
• pumpkin
• bourbon – optional
• milk

SWAPS

You can use pecans or walnuts in this cake or leave the nuts out altogether. You can leave the raisins out if you life too. The bourbon is of course optional.

🍽️HOW TO MAKE

The hardest thing about this cake is organizing the ingredients, so get all of those set up and then you can just add as we go.

COOKING STEPS

Step 1
Pour the bourbon into a small bowl and add the raisins. Set aside to let the raisins soak up the bourbon while mixing the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and buttermilk.

Step 2
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt and vanilla and mix well. Mix in the 1 cup of pumpkin. The raisins probably won’t soak up the entire 1/2 cup of bourbon. Fold in the raisins, walnuts and what is left of the bourbon into your batter.

Step 3
Pour into a sprayed bundt pan and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 – 50 minutes. Let cake cool 20 to 25 minutes before removing from pan. This cake is wonderful without frosting.

Step 4
Mix ingredients together with mixer. Pour over cake. (Add more milk for thinner frosting or more sugar for thicker frosting until you reach the desired consistency)

⭐TIP

If you plan to use the raisins in this cake definitely soak them, it makes all the difference in how they plump up in the cake.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

If you bake this cake in a 9 x 13 pan and you use the frosting above, you will probably need to double the frosting recipe. If you have frosting left over, it is wonderful to heat in the microwave and pour over the cake, too. I use Kentucky bourbon in my cake because Kentucky has the best!

❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW TO STORE THIS CAKE

I just store this cake in a cool place covered in a cake carrier or cake stand.

💕MORE POPULAR RECIPES TO ENJOY

Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is easy to make and makes a wonderful gift during the holiday season.

SERVING SIZE

This cake will make 10-12 servings. Depending on how you slice the cake.

Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake

This Bourbon and Pumpkin Spice Cake is a wonderful dessert. 

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, southern

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup oil I used Olive
• 2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup bourbon If you don’t use alcohol, I have listed two other cakes at the bottom of this recipe you might be interested in or you could just soak your raisins in water
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts chopped

Pumpkin, Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons butter softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectionery sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon bourbon
• 2 tablespoons milk

• Pour the bourbon into a small bowl and add the raisins. Set aside to let the raisins soak up the bourbon while mixing the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl mix the eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk.

• Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt and vanilla and mix well. Mix in the 1 cup of pumpkin. The raisins probably won’t soak up the entire 1/2 cup of bourbon. Fold in the raisins, walnuts and what is left of the bourbon into your batter.

• Pour into a sprayed bundt pan and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 – 50 minutes. Let cake cool 20 to 25 minutes before removing from pan. This cake is wonderful without frosting.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions

If you bake this cake in a 9 x 13 pan and you use the frosting above, you will probably need to double the frosting recipe. If you have frosting left over, it is wonderful to heat in the microwave and pour over the cake, too. I use Kentucky bourbon in my cake because Kentucky has the best!

Keyword Pumpkin Spice Cake

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