Bourbon & Mocha Cake

  • Bourbon Mocha Cake

    I am smitten by this cake.  And if I am, then you will be too.  Trust me.

    Take a rich, chocolatey cake… add coffee (which in itself is a recipe for a spectacular success- one needs to go no further, technically)… add chocolate chips (the mini ones, for a bit of chocolate-crazed texture)… and then add a healthy dose of Maker’s Mark.  Yes, that’s what takes it over the top.  Bourbon.

    So the good people from Gevalia sent me some coffee to bake with, hoping I wouldn’t hate it, of course.  I used the breakfast blend  in this recipe and I must say- it worked beautifully with the bourbon.  (The inappropriateness of the breakfast coffee with bourbon is not lost on me.  Cheers to a nice boozy cup o’ swiss coffee in the morning!)  But really- the coffee rocked.  But the cake- this one is a winner.

    Adapted from the New York Times recipe…

    12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, more for pan

    3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

    1 1/2 cups brewed strong coffee (Gevalia!)

    1/2 cup Maker’s Mark bourbon (or your favorite whiskey)

    1 cup sugar

    1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

    2 cups all-purpose flour

    1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

    3/4 teaspoons salt (ideally fine sea salt)

    1/4 teaspoon black pepper

    1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

    3 large eggs

    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

    2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for serving (optional)

    1. Heat oven to 325°. Butter/grease a 10-inch springform pan, and dust with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.  Wrap springform pan with foil (shiny side in) to prevent batter from leaking out the edges.  (Like it did with me.  On the hot oven.  Burning.)
    2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm coffee, bourbon, 12 tablespoons butter and remaining cocoa powder, whisking occasionally, until butter is melted. Whisk in sugars until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.
    3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves.  In another small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla.  Slowly whisk egg mixture into cooled chocolate mixture.  Add dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  Stir in chocolate chips.
    4. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center emerges clean, 55 to 65 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack, then remove sides of pan.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if you like.

    Tips:

    • The chocolate should be of good quality if you can, okay?  It will make a difference in the recipe.  Sort of like vanilla- use real (not authentic!), quality stuff.  Oh, and the butter- Plugra butter is amazing.  Even buttery than regular butter.  Sounds odd but believe me.
    • Want icing?  Yes, I wish I added it too.  Next time I’ll mix a bit of strong coffee or Kahlua (2 tablespoons) with confectioners’ sugar (2 cups or so) and then drizzle it overtop as the cake is still warm.  Sigh.
    • Don’t let your cake crack all to crap like mine did.  They say my over might have been a bit too hot.  And I did take it out about 5 minutes after putting it into the oven because I forgot to add the mini chocolate chips.  Oops.

     

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    January 23rd, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: , ,

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