Is it even a guilty pleasure if it doesn’t involve the words: maple, bacon, bourbon, gooey, butter, and cake? NOPE! Right in time for the weekend, we’re coming at you with Chef Jim Hinger of Horizon Catering’s Maple Bacon Bourbon Gooey Butter Cake. We’ll take two slices, please!

Horizon Catering is based out of Raleigh and is catering for a cause, benefiting the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. We were honored to feature Chef Jim this month!

Maple bacon bourbon filling:

• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cup light corn syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1-pound Cheshire apple wood smoked bacon, cooked until crispy and crumble

Cake:

• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups sour cream

Preparation:

Maple bacon bourbon filling:

Using a mixer on medium speed, cream the granulated sugar, butter, and salt, scraping down sides, until well combined. Beat in egg. With the mixer speed on low gradually beat in flour. Add corn syrup, maple syrup, milk, bourbon and vanilla and beat on low speed, scraping down sides, until combined and no streaks of syrup remain. Fold in ¾ of the cooked bacon.

Cake:

Butter a 13x9" pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a mixer on medium speed, cream granulated sugar, brown sugar, and remaining ¾ cup butter, scraping down sides, until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated (mixture will look loose and broken, that’s okay), beat in vanilla. With the mixer speed on low gradually beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Dollop goo over batter. Using spatula, gently and evenly spread goo over entire surface.

In a 350 oven bake cake until browned, edges begin to pull away from pan, and middle is slightly wobbly, 45–55 minutes. When fully baked, it will look like it has craters. Let cool 1 hour in pan, then dust with powdered sugar and the rest of the crumbled bacon.