Happy Fall! So, I am switching things up this year. I normally welcome Fall with a pumpkin recipe, but I haven’t baked anything with pumpkin yet. I have one or two recipes that I want to make but just haven’t gotten to them yet. Instead, I am bringing you a cake that is just as equally perfect for the Fall, a Tennessee Whiskey Cake. (Although, I made it with bourbon, but you could use either.) There is also a decent amount of chopped pecans in the cake that I find reminiscent with Fall baking.
One thing I loved about this cake is that it only required one-bowl and came together rather quickly. I thought about foregoing toasting the pecans to save time, but I went ahead and did it. I can’t say for sure if it added another layer of flavor to the cake though. What I mainly tasted was hints of the bourbon, which wasn’t a bad thing. A slice of this cake is the perfect accompaniment to a nice hot cup of tea (or coffee if that’s your thing!). Perfect after a day of raking leaves, leaf peeping, apple picking or whatever Fall activity you may be doing.
Tennessee Whiskey Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup pecan halves, plus additional for topping
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup whiskey or bourbon*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
*I used Jim Beam’s Bourbon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread the 1 1/4 cups of pecans on a baking sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pecans from sticking and/or burning, until toasted and lightly browned. Allow to cool and then chop the pecans.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F and spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract together with a hand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each.
Next, beat in the whiskey/bourbon, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reduce the mixer to low and stir in the chopped pecans and then the flour until just incorporated.
Spread the butter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and then place pecan halves on top.
Bake in the preheated oven until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan, place on the wire rack and cool completely. For best flavor store airtight for one day at room temperature before serving.
Recipe from Elizabeth Alston’s Best Baking
Bead Yarn & Spatula 
Actually, all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. The biggest difference is that bourbon must be made in Kentucky!😁
https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/what-exactly-is-the-difference-between-bourbon-and-whiskey-20140905