Chocolate Bourbon Cake

There's something about a chocolate cake infused with alcohol--usually bourbon whiskey--that just wreaks of classiness.   Maybe it's the bourbon I smell, but I smell classy.

It's no surprise, then, that this recipe comes from The New York Times food and dining section circa 2008.  I always go to the NYT recipe section for innovative food ideas and this bourbon-infused cake has innovative down.

As innovative as it may be, my friend John refers to the this recipe as the "alchy cake" where "each bite is like taking a shot."  So bakers beware: for as much chocolate as this cake is packing, it's also packing a significant amount of booze.  However, since this cake is a bit on the boozy side, feel free to reduce the whisky from 1 cup to 3/4 of a cup or 1/2 of a cup for less of the alcohol content based on your taste preferences.  The cake will bake just fine with less alcohol (it'll be denser), but you should definitely bake it with some bourbon.

Chocolate Bourbon Cake
This recipe comes from the New York Times food and dining section (the original can be found here).  But, I must give a shout out to Ms. Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes for trying and cataloguing said recipe; and thus, verifying its deliciousness.  For Elise's version of the recipe, see here.

Ingredients:
* 2 sticks butter, softened
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 5 ounces quality dark chocolate, melted (can substitute with 5 ounces Nutella)
* 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
* 1/4 cup instant espresso, coffee, or regular coffee
* 1 cup bourbon whiskey (can use 3/4 cup or 1/2 cup depending on preferences)
* 1/2 tsp kosher salt
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, for sprinkling

1.) Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan.

2.) Add cocoa powder, instant coffee to a heat-safe measuring cup and add boiling water to the 1 cup fill line.  Allow to cool.

3.) Add salt and 1 cup whiskey bourbon (or lesser amount depending on your preference).  Stir well to integrate.

4.) Beat butter (softened) for 2-3 minutes in a Kitchenaid mixer, or until fluffy.  Add sugar and mix fully; add eggs 1 add a time allowing for each one to be properly mixed in after each addition.

5.) Add vanilla extract, baking soda, and melted chocolate (can use Nutella here if you don't have high quality dark chocolate).  Mix to integrate.

6.) Now, add the wet mixture--whiskey/coffee/cocoa--and the dry mixture to your butter batter by doing 1/3 of each at a time, but back and forth.  Start by adding 1/3 of the whiskey mixture, then 1/3 of the 2 cups flour.

7.)  Now add the second third of the whiskey mixture and second third of the 2 cups of flour.  Continue until all ingredients are fully integrated.

7.) Once batter is fully integrated, scrape down the sides of your bowl to add any leftover dry ingredients.  Mix one last time and pour into a 10-12 cup bundt pan.

8.) Bake in oven at 350F for 45 minutes or more, or until a knife comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cake to a plate.

9.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar and fresh bourbon whiskey; makes 12.

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