Sweet release
Bakery launches Memphis Bourbon Caramel Cake
Caramel cake and bourbon ... together? That sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Two quintessential Southern ingredients combined to make a delicious sweet dessert. I’ll have a slice please!
Two Memphis makers in the food and beverage industry have teamed up to create a special treat heading into the holiday season. Sugar Avenue Bakery and Old Dominick Distillery are blending two of their most popular flavors to make a Memphis Bourbon Caramel Cake.
On Tuesday, I got to have a preview bite for this new confection.
The yellow cake is buttery and just slightly sweet. It’s a classic yellow cake done right. In between each layer is a generous portion of homemade caramel sauce with just a hint of bourbon. The caramel sauce runs through the layers adding both flavor and moisture to the cake. The icing is the traditional sugary sweet Southern caramel icing made from scratch. You taste the whiskey, but it’s subtle and not overpowering. I eagerly went back for a second bite.
Sugar Avenue owner Ed Crenshaw dreamed up the partnership.
“Our caramel cake is our most popular item because ours is made with real caramel. One day, it dawned on me... everything is better with bourbon! Especially bourbon made in Memphis.”
So when it came to using a bourbon for its
recipe, Sugar Avenue called on another Memphis company — Old Dominick Distillery.
Old Dominick was excited to participate in the project.
“I’m always excited for any opportunity to collaborate with other makers, especially when that involves another local, Memphis brand. Sugar Avenue’s creations are delicious, and I feel honored that they wanted Huling Station Bourbon Whiskey to be included in this cake,” said Alex Castle, Master Distiller and senior vice president at Old Dominick Distillery.
The two teams worked together on the not-sostrenuous task of sampling cakes and caramel recipes until they landed on one with a perfect blend of Sugar Avenue caramel and Old Dominick Huling Station Bourbon.
Sugar Avenue is an e-commerce store that sells high-end baked goods directly to customers. Each cake is delivered frozen straight to your front door.
“We use upscale ingredients like Plugra butter and Mexican vanilla in all our cakes,” Crenshaw said.
Classics like caramel cake are made the old-fashioned way, burning the sugar over the stove until just the right point for a sweet caramel icing.
The Memphis Bourbon Caramel Cakes come in a 6inch baby cake that serves six to 10. They are available on the Sugar Avenue website (sugaravenue.com) along with the company’s other cakes and goodies. The cake retails for $55, the price includes free shipping.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.