Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Bundt Cakes The Healing Powers Of A Southern Hangover Cake 3.7 (3) 2 Reviews This is our Southern take on the Italian hangover cake; ours is made super Southern with our use of bourbon and a glaze that’s flavored like lemony sweet tea thanks to limoncello. It's a hair-of-the-dog sort of cake, as the alcohol burn is quite present (as it should be; we don't want to cook off the alcohol). The cake itself is wonderfully moist, plush, velvety, tender, and soft. When you cut into the cake, you'll see parts where the interior has darkened from the glaze seeping in. The butter in the glaze tends to make the tea bags less porous, so you'll need to press the bags occasionally to release more tea into the glaze. By Ann Taylor Pittman Ann Taylor Pittman For 20 years, Ann Taylor Pittman built a career of creating healthy recipes at Cooking Light magazine, where she most recently served as Executive Editor. She is the recipient of two James Beard Foundation Awards: a feature writing award and a cookbook award. She is now a freelancer specializing in recipe development, writing, and video. Follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on July 27, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Active Time: 24 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 12 mins Servings: 12 Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Ingredients Cake: Baking spray with flour 1/2 cup bourbon 1/4 cup canola oil 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 6 large eggs, at room temperature 2 1/2 cups cake flour (about 10 2/3 oz.) 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. table salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened Glaze: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup bourbon 1/3 cup limoncello 1/4 tsp. table salt 2 family-size tea bags Directions Prepare oven and Bundt pan: To prepare cake, preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray (or coat with regular cooking spray and dust with flour). Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Combine liquid ingredients: Whisk together bourbon, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Cream the butter into the flour: Place flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at low speed until well combined, 20 to 30 seconds. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add softened butter to bowl; beat on low speed until mixture is smooth and resembles cookie dough, about 2 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox With mixer on low speed, gradually add about one-third of egg mixture; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Repeat process in two more batches with remaining egg mixture. Scrape down sides of the bowl; increase mixer speed to medium and beat until batter is creamy and thick, about 2 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add batter to pan: Spoon batter into prepared pan. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake: Bake at 325°F until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make cake glaze: To prepare glaze, while cake bakes, place butter and water in a small saucepan; heat over medium until butter melts. Add sugar; cook over medium until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in bourbon, limoncello, and salt. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Pour mixture into a 2-cup measuring cup; add tea bags, making sure they’re submerged in liquid. Cool glaze as cake bakes, pressing gently on tea bags occasionally. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Poke holes in cake and add glaze: As soon as cake comes out of oven, poke several holes over the top (what will eventually be the bottom) with a skewer. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Pour about 3/4 cup glaze evenly over cake. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes (glaze will soak into cake). Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Remove cake from pan: Slide a thin knife around edges and center of pan; carefully invert cake onto wire rack. Poke holes all over top and sides of cake. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Place rack over cake plate or platter; occasionally brush remaining glaze over top and sides of cake as it cools until all glaze is used. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox When cake has cooled completely, lift it off the rack and place on the cake plate or platter to soak up glaze that dripped onto the plate. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Rate It Print