Bourbon Vanilla Butter Evaporated Milk Cake with Sixlets

Skirt in the Kitchen

It’s a party cake, it has to be!  It’s colorful with Sixlets candy-coated chocolates.  It can also cover some frosting flaws by putting those shiny pearls on top!  It’s acceptably okay– It’s good to be flawed…  There might be visible holes in the cake, too!  It’s a fun and delicious cake to make and serve.  The cake batter is old-fashioned.  It’s an evaporated milk cake.  The update of the cake is the Sixlets candies to garnish the frosting with.  Other than that, it’s still vintage but let it be said that it’s an evaporated milk cake with Sixlets!Have 9 large eggs at room temperature for 3 cake layers.  Preheat  oven to 350º.Slice length-wise 3 vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds; set aside.Have 3 sticks salted butter softened at room temperature.  Measure and set aside 2 cups shy of granulated sugar.Combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.

Beat softened butter and sugar; one at a time, add the eggs.  Mix in 3 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.Alternating with the flour, add 3/4 to 1 cup milk, depending on thickness of batter even though this is considered a heavy cake.Evenly distribute into buttered and floured pans.  Bake until set. 

For the frosting beat 2 sticks salted butter, 1 vanilla bean scraped, 2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract, 8 cups powdered sugar, and approximately 8 tablespoons evaporated milk.

-Susan Nuyt, Skirt in the Kitchen