Classic Strawberry Shortcake is one of those recipes you need to know how to make: easy-to-make biscuits layered with juicy strawberries and freshly whipped cream…heaven! It’s the perfect dessert for Spring and Summer!

My biscuit cutter is a little smaller than 2 1/2″ so I got a few more biscuits out of the batch. I like to use coarse sugar instead of granulated sugar to sprinkle on top of each biscuit before baking. Enjoy!

Classic Strawberry Shortcake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine 

These biscuits get their light, tender texture from buttermilk and baking powder, and their rich flavor from an egg, cream, and lots of butter. This simple dessert is best made at the height of strawberry season, using the juiciest, sweetest strawberries you can find. Serves 6.
 
For the strawberries:
1 lb. ripe strawberries, hulled (about 4 cups)
2 Tbs. granulated sugar; more to taste

For the biscuits:
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 oz. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream; more for brushing
1/4 cup buttermilk

For the whipped cream:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream 
2 Tbs. granulated sugar

Prepare the strawberries: Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl and, using a potato masher, crush them into a chunky purée. Slice the remaining berries 1/4 inch thick and stir them into the mashed berries along with the sugar. Taste the berries, adding more sugar if necessary. Let the berries sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Make the biscuits: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large heavy-duty baking sheet with parchment.

Sift the flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and heavy cream with a fork. Mix in the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cream mixture. Mix with the fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just comes together; it will still look a little shaggy. Gather the dough and gently knead it three or four times. If the dough seems dry and doesn’t form a cohesive mass, work in more cream, 1 tsp. at a time.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 3/4 -inch-thick disk. With a sharp 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down to cut the dough into rounds and lift straight up to remove (don’t twist the cutter or it will seal the sides of the biscuits and interfere with rising). Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps, gently knead them together, re-roll, and cut out more biscuits until you have a total of 6.

Lightly brush the biscuit tops with cream (about 1 Tbs.) and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. sugar. Bake, rotating the baking sheet once, until the biscuit tops are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly while you whip the cream.

Whip the cream: In a large, chilled metal bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks with an electric hand mixer. (Use immediately or refrigerate, covered until ready to serve).

Assemble the shortcakes: Using a serrated knife, split the warm biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to 6 dessert plates. Spoon about three-quarters of the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. It’s OK if some of the berries spill out onto the plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover each with a biscuit top. Spoon more berries and cream over each shortcake and serve immediately.

Make Ahead Tips: The biscuits can be baked 10 to 12 hours ahead and reheated in a 350°F oven before serving. The strawberries can be macerated up to 2 hours ahead. The cream can be whipped up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered. If necessary, lightly rewhip before using.

Tags: classic strawberry shortcake, short cake, shortcake, spring, strawberries, strawberry shortcake, Summer

If you’re looking for a chocolate dessert that that will make you swoon then look no further. This wonderful cake is smooth and rich, and perfect for entertaining (Christmas, Valentines, bridal showers, dinner parties, etc.)! While easy to make, the cake does require time in the fridge (about 7 hours) so plan accordingly.

Before serving the cake, drizzle each plate with a little Raspberry Sauce for a beautiful presentation. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze
-recipe by Abigail Johnson Dodge – Fine Cooking Magazine
 
Drop-dead delicious, this cake is a pure chocolate indulgence. Yields one 9-inch cake that serves twelve generously.

For the cake:
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (2-1/4 cups)
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces; more for the pan
5 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. table salt
3/4 oz. (1/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy; more for the pan

For the glaze:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter

Make the cake:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9×2-inch round cake pan and line it with a round of parchment. Lightly butter the parchment and the sides of the pan and dust with cocoa powder. Tap out any excess.

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a medium metal bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove the bowl from the water bath and set aside to cool slightly. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 Tbs. water. Beat on medium high speed until the mixture is very foamy, pale in color, and doubled in volume, 2 min. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually pour in the chocolate mixture. Increase the speed to medium high and continue beating until well blended, about 30 seconds. Add the cocoa powder and mix on medium low just until blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a pick inserted in the center comes out looking wet with small gooey clumps, 40 to 45 min. Don’t overcook. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 30 min. If necessary, gently push the edges down with your fingertips until the layer is even. Run a small knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Cover the cake pan with a wire rack and invert. Remove the pan and parchment and let the cake cool completely. The cake may look cinched in around its sides, which is fine. Transfer to a cake plate. Cover and refrigerate the cake until it’s very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Glaze the cake:
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a medium metal bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the warm glaze over the chilled cake and, using an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set, 20 to 40 min. Before serving, remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, 20 to 30 min. To serve, cut the cake into small, if not tiny, slices using a hot knife.

Tip: To slice this cake (or any dense, sticky cake), heat the knife first, either by dipping it in a tall container of very hot water or by holding it under hot running water for a few seconds. Then wipe it dry before cutting the cake. The knife will cool quickly, and the cake will start sticking, so expect to rinse and repeat several times. A crème brûlée torch, if you have one, is also handy for heating up a knife.  

Tags: chocolate, chocolate cake, Christmas, Christmas dessert, Dessert, Fine Cooking Magazine, flourless chocolate cake, holiday desserts, holidays, Valentine's Day, Valentine's dessert

I’m a big fan of just about any kind of caramel and chocolate treat. These gooey bar cookies are definitely a winner: chocolate chips, crunchy pecans and a rich caramel drizzle layered between an oatmeal cookie base and crumble topping. They are rich, delicious and easy to make.

I always use Mrs. Richardson’s brand Butterscotch Caramel Topping, which is available at many grocery stores.

Be careful not to overbake the crust layer or the finished bars will be crunchier then they’re meant to be. Serve with a cold glass of milk or a cup of coffee…mmmm, heavenly!

Caramel Oatmeal Chewies
-recipe from verybestbaking.com.

Chewy oats surround layers of chocolate, caramel and nuts in these hearty bars.

1 3/4 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt, (optional)
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup caramel ice cream topping

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

COMBINE oats, 1½ cups flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Stir in butter; mix well. Reserve 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with morsels and nuts. Mix caramel topping with remaining flour in small bowl; drizzle over nuts to within ¼ inch of pan edges. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture.

BAKE for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack; refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars.

Tags: caramel, Caramel Oatmeal Chewies, chocolate caramel bars, chocolate caramel squares, Christmas cookies, holiday cookies, holidays, Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel Topping, oatmeal bars, oatmeal caramel bars, oatmeal cookies, squares

Pumpkin admirers will love this moist pumpkin cake. It’s easy to make, not too sweet, and tastes pumpkin pie-ish (only better)!

The cake took longer to bake than the recipe states. I had to turn my oven down a bit so it wouldn’t brown too much. Check the cake at 30 minutes and if it’s still wet in the middle, turn the oven down about 25 degrees and check in 10 more minutes (repeat as needed until toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean). Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine (October/November 2007)

Why this recipe works:
Pumpkin cake recipes should be easy, but the pumpkin cake recipes we tried made damp cakes with a harsh burn of spice. And the cream cheese frosting was way too sweet and rich. To avoid these pitfalls, we made the cake with packed pumpkin puree (without spices or sugar) instead of canned pumpkin pie filling (with spices and sugar). The cake made with the puree actually tasted like pumpkin, which was one of the features we wanted for our Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Using puree also allowed us to control the spices ourselves, and we opted to use just a bit of ginger, cinnamon, and allspice to give the cake a subtle spiciness. And to solve the problem of heavy and cloyingly sweet frosting, we lessened the amounts of butter and confectioners’ sugar and increased the amount of cream cheese. The result was a tangy frosting that perfectly complemented the spiced cake and gave us our ideal Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Serves 16.

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

Frosting:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract  

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, oil, and granulated sugar until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add pumpkin, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until only a few small lumps of flour remain, about 1 minute. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool completely.

For the frosting: With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese 1 piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Turn cooled cake out onto wire rack, then invert onto serving platter. Frost cake and serve. (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.) 

Tags: autumn, cake, Christmas, Cook's Country Magazine, holiday baking, holiday dessert, pumpkin, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cake, pumpkin dessert, Thanksgiving

Can anyone resist a fresh biscuit still warm from the oven? It’s definitely one of life’s simple pleasures! These light and fluffy Southern Biscuits are easy to make so you’ll never need to buy another can o’ biscuits again! We’ve made this recipe many times and the biscuits always come out perfect. You gotta love Alton Brown!

This recipe relies heavily on baking powder so make sure yours hasn’t expired. If it has expired, the biscuits won’t rise properly and you’ll probably end up with little golden hockey pucks. Baking soda has an expiration date, too, so be sure to check both your baking powder and baking soda before proceeding with any baking recipes.

If you don’t have a 2″ cookie cutter, a 2″ diameter drinking glass will work. Either way, dip the rim of the cookie cutter (or glass) in flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter. Also, push straight down through the dough (don’t twist) when cutting out the biscuits. Bake until golden on top and enjoy!

Southern Biscuits
-Recipe from Alton Brown – Food Network

Makes 1 dozen biscuits.

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

Tags: Alton Brown, baking powder biscuits, biscuits, Breakfast, buttermilk biscuits, Food Network, Southern biscuits

I love secret ingredient recipes, and you’d never know there was shredded zucchini hiding inside this moist, chocolatey cake. Even my Picky Eater who normally runs away from zucchini (and many other “green” things) commented that he liked it. The cake is great on it’s own or served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. While I like it best the day it’s made when the chocolate chips are still a little melty, it’s still very good the second day, too (and gets even more moist).

After grating the zucchini, I squeeze the excess water out of it before adding it to the cake batter. Also, I skip the nuts and double the chocolate chips, mixing some of them into the batter and sprinkling the rest on top of the batter. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
-adapted recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

The zucchini helps keep the cake moist.

Yield: Serves 12

2  cups sifted all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 1/2 medium)
1 6-ounce package (about 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each. Mix in grated zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan.
 

Tags: chocolate cake, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini, zucchini cake

Who can resist a homemade blueberry muffin? Not me! Lightly lemony with a tender crumb and a sweet streusel topping, these Blueberry Streusel Muffins rival anything you’ll find at a fancy coffee house or bakery. They make a great breakfast treat or after school snack, and are fabulous with a cup of coffee or tea. YUM!

The recipe makes a boat load of streusel — I used most but not all of it. Spoon a generous amount of streusel on top of and around each muffin…really pile that streusel on there. Bake and enjoy!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Why this recipe works: We thought it would be easy to find a great blueberry muffin recipe, but most baked up dry or spongy, with an ugly color and weak blueberry flavor. We wanted our Blueberry Streusel Muffins to be tender and cakey, bursting with berries and crowned with chewy nuggets of streusel. Replacing the usual sour cream with buttermilk in the test kitchen’s favorite blueberry muffin recipe created muffins with a sturdy-but-light texture that was able to support the weight of our streusel. Juicy fresh blueberries made our muffins soggy, so we opted for frozen berries. Keeping the blueberries frozen until the last second prevented the muffins from turning an unappealing blue. Tossing the blueberries with flour before adding them to the batter kept the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin tin. Note: To prevent a streaky batter, leave the blueberries in the freezer until the last possible moment. Wyman’s brand frozen wild blueberries are our first choice, but an equal amount of fresh blueberries may be substituted.

Makes 12

Streusel:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
Pinch salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for preparing muffin tin
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for preparing muffin tin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

For the streusel: Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and mixture forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout.

For the muffins: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin. Whisk egg in medium bowl until pale and evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Add vanilla, sugar, and zest and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in melted butter; add buttermilk and whisk until combined.

Reserve 1 tablespoon flour. Whisk remaining flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Fold in egg mixture until nearly combined. Toss blueberries with reserved flour and fold into batter until just combined.

Divide batter in muffin tin and top with streusel. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with few dry crumbs attached, 23 to 27 minutes. Cool muffins in tin for 20 minutes, then carefully transfer muffins to rack to cool completely. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.)

When Good Muffins Go Bad:
There are plenty of things that can go wrong with blueberry muffin recipes. Here are two of the worst problems we encountered.

GREEN WITH ENVY: Baking soda may have its merits for lift and browning, but it reacts with blueberries to create an unappealing green hue.
 
SOGGY BOTTOM: Think more blueberries make better muffins? Think again. When more than 1 1/2 cups of berries are used, the extra moisture creates muffins with fruit-soaked bottoms.

I’m linked to: Ultimate Recipe Swap, Show Off Your Stuff Party, Link Party Thursday at Somewhat Simple, Taste This Thursday, Delicious Dishes.

Tags: berry muffins, blueberries, blueberry, blueberry muffins, blueberry streusel muffins, coffee cake, coffee house, Muffins

Freshly baked bread — still warm from the oven —  is one of life’s simple pleasures. If you’ve never made your own bread before, this recipe for breadsticks is a good place to start. Fashioned after Olive Garden-style breadsticks, they’re easy to make and very worth the effort! My kids devoured them.

I used my Kitchenaid mixer to knead the dough for a few minutes, then used a kitchen scale to portion the dough into equal pieces (16 pieces that weighed approximately 2.25 ounces each). I then shaped each portion into a 7″ long breadstick and proceeded with the recipe. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, just follow the recipe as written.

Once baked, the breadsticks are delicious served with marinara sauce or garlic butter for dipping. Mmmmm!

Almost-Famous Breadsticks
-Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Makes 16 breadsticks.

For the Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour,plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fine salt

For the Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter,melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano

Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.

Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt.

Tags: bread, bread sticks, breadsticks, Food Network, Olive Garden, Olive Garden breadsticks

These moist and tasty muffins have a light banana flavor and are topped with an oatmeal and brown sugar struesel. Yum! My friends who tasted them agreed that this is definitely a keeper recipe. I think they’re best the day they’re made, slightly warm from the oven. Enjoy!

Banana Buttermilk Muffins
-recipe adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

Makes 15 muffins.

MUFFINS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk

TOPPING:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons cold butter

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add bananas and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. For the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and oats. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful over each muffin.

Bake at 400° for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Tags: banana buttermilk muffins, banana desserts, banana muffins, banana streusel muffins, Breakfast, buttermilk, quick bread, streusel, Taste of Home Magazine

With Valentine’s Day just days away, I thought I’d post one of my favorite chocolate desserts: Bourbon Chocolate Cake. This fantastic dessert is dense, rich and worth every luscious bite! Even if you don’t enjoy sipping the barrel-aged spirit on it’s own, I’m confident you’ll love this cake. The bourbon (I prefer Jim Beam for this recipe) adds a subtle flavor without making the cake taste boozy.

To get 11 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate, I used 9 oz. Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate plus 2 oz. Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Milk Chocolate. Both are good quality chocolates that are imported from Belgium, and made a great cake! 

The recipe says the cake serves 8-10 but I cut smaller pieces so I get a few more servings (10-12). I serve each slice with a drizzle of Raspberry Sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Bourbon Chocolate Cake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine 

This mousse-like cake really does melt in your mouth. It can be baked up to a day before serving and stored lightly wrapped at room temperature. If you don’t have a 9×3-inch round cake pan, use a 9×2-inch pan (a standard size sold in supermarkets) and construct a parchment collar so the cake has room to rise. For this cake, it’s worth splurging on the best chocolate you can buy. We like Callebaut. Serves 8-10.

11 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz. (12 Tbs.) unsalted butter
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 oz. (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup bourbon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For serving:
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Position an oven rack on the middle rung and heat the oven to 350°F.

Butter a 9×3-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment and butter the parchment. Set the cake pan in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate it.

Melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

With an electric mixer (a stand mixer with the whip attachment or a hand mixer), beat the egg yolks with the brown sugar on medium speed until very pale, thick, and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed, add the chocolate mixture, and mix just to combine. Add the flour, mixing just to combine and scraping the bowl as needed. Blend in the bourbon and vanilla. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a clean mixing bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with the salt on high speed until they hold soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Set the roasting pan on the oven rack and add enough warm tap water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the top feels set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the cake pan from the water bath and run a paring knife around the inside of the pan (or the inside of the parchment collar) to loosen the cake and then let the cake cool completely in the cake pan on a rack. When the cake is completely cool, loosen the sides once more with a paring knife. Cover the cake with a serving plate and invert the cake onto the plate. The bottom of the cake is now the top. Peel off the parchment. (Don’t worry if the surface looks a little ragged; you’ll be dusting with confectioners’ sugar).

To serve: In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat the cream and sugar to medium-soft peaks. Dust the top of the cake generously with confectioners’ sugar, slice, and serve each slice with the whipped cream.

Tags: bourbon, bourbon chocolate cake, bourbon desserts, Callebaut, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate desserts, Christmas desserts, dense chocolate cake, holiday, Jim Beam bourbon, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's Pound Plus Chocolate, Valentine's Day desserts