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
My grandma would love this cake! I bet it’s as rich and delicious as it looks.