Chocolate cake with whiskey caramel sauce recipe

Today I’m happy to share my Flower and Garden chocolate cake with whiskey caramel sauce recipe for a sweet treat!

While the Food and Wine Festival gets a lot of attention, I’ve always been a big fan of the Flower and Garden Festival. Especially since they added the food booths – in many ways I like the food there better because it tends to focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients. And an indulgent dessert is a must while on vacation, which is where the chocolate cake with whiskey caramel sauce comes in!

This has been served in past years at The Smokehouse Booth in the American Adventure pavilion.  I was excited to see it was one of the recipes included in my Epcot festival recipes cookbook so I could recreate it!

I did make a few changes here and there. They use Jack Daniels in the whiskey sauce. I personally didn’t have any on hand so I used a whiskey from a local distillery instead. I also halved the amount of whiskey caramel sauce and spiced pecans – but we still had a ton left over! Turns out these toppings are also great on ice cream.

Their recipe also calls for using ramekins, but I just used a muffin tin to create mini cakes. I think this worked perfectly, as the portions were ideal and they looked a lot like the ones you find at Epcot!

I will say I think this is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve made, ever. Even before adding the whiskey sauce and spiced pecans. It has great chocolate flavor and it’s so moist and delicious. The recipe uses buttermilk which I think adds a richness and great texture. 

Let’s take a look at the recipe for the Flower and Garden chocolate cake with whiskey caramel sauce:

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cake:

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup, 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the whiskey caramel sauce:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup Jack Daniels Whiskey

For the spiced pecans:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup pecans, broken into small pieces

Directions:

For the chocolate cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place oil, egg, sour cream and buttermilk in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients on top of wet in mixing bowl.
2. Mix with stand mixer or hand mixer for about 3 minutes or until fully mixed.
3. Place batter in small containers of your choice (ramekins or muffin tin recommended). If using ramekins, place them on a baking sheet.
4. Bake 13-15 minutes or until the tops of cakes crack. Remove from oven and cool.

For the whiskey caramel sauce:

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and lemon juice in stainless steel saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until mixture turns amber color, stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to low and stir in condensed milk.
3. Add whiskey and mix until smooth. Keep warm until ready to serve, but be careful not to burn the sauce. You can also store in the fridge and warm up again on the stovetop or microwave, adding just a splash of water to return to sauce consistency.

For the spiced pecans:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
2. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Once brown sugar thickens, stir in pecans.
3. Remove from heat and spread mixture on baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and cool. Set aside until ready to serve. Can be stored in an airtight container.

Put it all together:

Place chocolate cakes (best when warm!) on a plate. Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with spiced pecans. Enjoy!

Thinking about a trip to Disney World for next year’s Flower and Garden? Check out my Ultimate List of Disney World planning resources to get you started. If you’d like the assistance of a travel agent at no extra cost to you, email me at [email protected] and we can start planning and booking your trip!

Have you tried the Flower and Garden chocolate cake with whiskey caramel sauce? Would you like to try this one at home?