Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake

March 13, 2011 at 3:53 pm | Posted in bundt cakes, cakes & tortes, simple cakes, sweet things | 9 Comments
Tags: baking, cake, chocolate

I’m not an Irish girl (although with my reddish hair and fair skin, you can’t imagine how often I’m asked), but I’m still up for celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. I’m long done with the overcrowed pub thing though, so this year I’m going to get my booze on with Melissa Clarke’s Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt instead. It is loaded with a whole cup of whiskey, Jameson Irish in this case, and if you like this sort of thing, it is amazingly good. The crumb is tight and not fluffy, but instead of being a dense chocolate cake, the texture is soft as velvet.

If you read through the recipe, you’ll notice that the cake isn’t meant to be frosted. It truly doesn’t need it, but my cake needed it. You see, I decided to ignore the direction to flour my Bundt pan. Usually a good spray is all I need to get a clean release, but when I went to turn this cake out the entire outer layer stuck to the pan. Crappola. I patched back what I could (and ate what I couldn’t!), and then whipped up a quick gancahe to spackle and hide my goof. I think I did a good job with the reconstructive surgery– I can barely tell.

Bottoms up!

Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake- makes 10 to 12 servings
adapted from Melissa Clark’s fabulous book In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting pan
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup bourbon, rye or other whiskey, more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional)

-Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity Bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans). Preheat oven to 325° F. In microwave oven or double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate. Let cool.

-Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Add whiskey and salt; let cool.

-Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

-On low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with whiskey mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes for Bundt pan (loaf pans will take less time, start checking them after 55 minutes).

-Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. Let cool before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar if you like.

9 Comments »

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Well, if you lived in Boston, you wouldn’t even need to have red hair; someone could (and once did!) take my Ukrainian last name and ask if it was Irish!

I just borrowed this book from the library and have been dipping into it a little here and there. It does look wonderful (as does your cake!)

Comment by Audrey— March 13, 2011 #

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Steph, your cake looks awesome! I love that book and am so happy to see this cake come to life…how perfect for St. Patrick’s day. ha~ little bit of brilliance with the frosting–we have all been there! 🙂 Looks wonderful!

Comment by Nina— March 13, 2011 #

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audrey and nina–i have made the most delicious dinners out of this book…i’ve made the crispy tofu in peanut sauce and the quick-braised moroccan chicken more times than i can count!

Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— March 13, 2011 #

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This cake looks great. I think I would want frosting regardless of how it unmolded!

Comment by Stephanie— March 13, 2011 #

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This looks so amazingly dense and rich, I can imagine it is such a satisfying cake!!

Comment by Lot-O-Choc— March 14, 2011 #

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steph! It has been so long, but as usual your cake (and everything else I’ve been perusing) looks fabulous! I hope you are well, and that spring is really truly on its way. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this cookbook, I will have to check it out.
-Min

Comment by Min— March 14, 2011 #

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Oh my god, I LOVE this. I’ve made brownies with whiskey before, but never SOAKED in whiskey! Can’t wait to make this. Thanks.

Comment by freshandfoodie— March 29, 2011 #

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Wow that looks yummy, excellent recipe and photos look great as well

Comment by rsmacaalay— March 30, 2011 #

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This looks amazing. I love the idea of espresso and liquor. Yum.

Comment by Rufus' Food and Spirit Guide— April 1, 2011 #

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