Bourbon Chocolate Cake
Why I Love This Recipe
Serves 8-10.
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 temp. If you don't have a 9x3" cake pan, use a standard 9x2" pan and construct a parchment collar so the cake has room to rise.
For this cake it is bestto splurge on the best chocolate you can buy. Callebaut is a great choice (I totally agree!).
Ingredients You'll Need
11 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 Tbs. unsalted butter
6 large eggs, separated, at room temp
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
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
1-2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Directions
Position rack in middle of oven and eat to 350F.
Butter a 9x3" cake pan(or make a parchament collar for a smaller one).
Line bottom of pan with round parchment and butter parchment.
Set the cake pan in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate it.
Melt chocolate and butter together.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
With electric mixer (a stand mixer with whip attachment or a hand mixere), 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 bowl andd set aside.
In a CLEAN, DRY mixing bowl with CLEAN, DRY 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 chocolat 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 side 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 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 peakes. Dust the top of the cake generously with confectioners' sugar, slice, and serve each slice with the whipped cream.
