The Ultimate Kentucky Derby Dessert: A Mint Julep Cake with a Bourbon Ball Twist
If you’re planning a Kentucky Derby celebration and want to impress guests with something that’s both unexpected and unmistakably Southern, let me introduce you to your new go-to dessert: a hyperrealistic mint julep cake—with a bourbon ball cake recipe tucked inside. Yes, you read that right. The outside looks exactly like a frosty silver cup of the classic Derby cocktail, but the inside is rich with chocolate, pecans, and bourbon flavor, inspired by a true Kentucky delicacy. It’s playful, nostalgic, and deeply rooted in Southern tradition—which makes it everything I love in a cake.
This cake is actually part of a brand collaboration with my friend MK Hennigan, the culinary voice behind In the Curious Kitchen. MK and I connected years ago over our shared love of Southern flavors and family stories told through food. She used to sell the most incredible bourbon balls (I may or may not have eaten the whole box she sent me in a single day), and although she no longer sells them, the recipe lives on her website—and it’s what inspired this cake.
MK hired me to create custom content for her brand, and our idea was to bring the essence of her beloved bourbon balls to life in cake form, timed perfectly for Derby season. She mailed me a box of bourbon balls, I set to work developing a recipe that mirrored their flavor and texture, and once I had the perfect cake, I sculpted it into a mint julep—right down to the frosted pewter finish and delicate sugar mint leaves.
The final cake wasn’t just a dessert—it was a content centerpiece. MK used the photos and recipe across her social media and email campaigns to drum up Derby excitement, and I got to flex my sculpted cake skills while creating something that felt both personal and pitch-perfect for her brand. Because this project brought the perfect mix of storytelling, Southern flavor, and visual wow-factor, I’m re-featuring the same bourbon ball cake recipe here on my site—so it’s easy to find, bookmark, and bake for your next Derby party (or just a Tuesday).
Bourbon Ball Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4oz (1/2 block) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2–1 tbsp bourbon (depending on preference)
- 3/4 cup toasted finely chopped pecans (I use Schermer—they are the best!)
Ganache
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract or bourbon
- 1.5 salt
Steps
Note: This recipe is written using (3) 6″ round cake pans.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Sift together AP flour, baking powder and salt.
- Mix together buttermilk, vanilla extract and bourbon.
- Using a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on high until well-mixed, about 3 minutes.
- Add sugars and continue to beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add egg whites, one at a time until fully mixed.
- With the mixer on the slowest setting, add 1/3 of your dry mixed ingredients until just mixed.
- Slowly add 1/2 of your liquid ingredients until just mixed. Continue to rotate between adding your remaining dry, liquid, then dry until all mixed together. Turn off the mixer.
- Using a spatula, fold in your toasted pecans.
- Split batter evenly between greased cake pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool completely on wire racks.
Ganache
- Measure out chocolate in a glass bowl. Set aside.
- Heat heavy cream on medium high heat until steam starts to rise (just before simmer).
- Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and let sit (don’t stir!) for five minutes.
- After the five minutes, slowly whisk together until smooth. (If chocolate isn’t fully melting, put in microwave for 10 seconds but be careful not to burn chocolate).
- Whisk in vanilla/bourbon and salt.
Assembly
- While ganache is still warm but cake layers have cooled completely to room temp, place one cake layer on a cake plate and add ganache using an offset spatula.
- Add another layer and repeat.
- Once all layers are stacked, add ganache around sides until covered.
- Top with toasted chopped pecans.
Enjoy! 🙂
