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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Chocolate Bourbon Cake

When Sam & I decided to host another dinner get together this last Friday, I wanted to follow up my last cake with one that involved waaay less frosting and more class.  One that was attractive with less work, but sexy with the hint of some robust flavor.  Then, I saw what Elise Bauer referred to as

"Chocolate. Bourbon. Cake. I think the moment my father spied this recipe in the New York Times he was a goner. ("You had me at chocolate.") Nothing was going to stop him from making this cake. When he found out I possessed a 10-cup bundt pan, that was it, he was half-way to the store getting chocolate and instant espresso for the recipe." 

As you can see, we foodies take our recipes very seriously.  Elise's father went on a shopping rampage with the suggestion of the recipe, and I too, went on a similar cooking rampage.  Not nearly as humorous, but certainly as delicious.

The below cake is the moistest of dark chocolate cakes I've ever made.  It's rich without being decadent and quite literally "melts" in your mouth.  Although one of my food fans said the cake was a little too "boozy," I think the best way to articulate the bourbon's mix with dark chocolate is that some bites are richly chocolatey and others remind you of a nice shot of bourbon.  With these two lingering tastes, this cake is clearly delicious!

Chocolate Bourbon Cake
This recipe, like many of mine, comes from Master Foodblogress Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes and can be found here.  As the recipe's legend has it, her father saw the below recipe in the New York Times food section and could hardly contain himself with the idea of baking up a dark, moist, chocolatey cake infused with the magic of Bourbon.  Well, upon reading this recipe, I too was similarly impressed.  Follow the recipe to a "T" as it is very difficult to alter.  The one area in which moderation is possible is the "instant coffee" or "espresso" option.  I used a 1/4 cup of coffee and skipped the steeping instant coffee alternative.  I'd suggest doing the same as no one likes instant coffee...not even when it's snuck into the deep recesses of a cake batter.

Ingredients
* 2 sticks butter, slightly softened
* 2 cups all purpose flour; or, for my version: 1 cup wheat flour, 1/2 cup cake flour, and 1/2 cup bread flour (I was feeling daring and the result was delicious!)
* 6.5 ounces dark chocolate, the nice variety, melted
* 1/4 cup brewed coffee
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 cup bourbon whiskey, I used Jim Beam as I had it leftover from the Bourbon ham recipe
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar for dusting

Special Equipment Needed:
* 1 10 cup capacity bundt pan
* 1 sifter

1.) Preheat oven to 325F and grease and flour a large bundt pan.  Set aside.

2.) Begin by preparing the coffee, bourbon, + cocoa mixture.  Pour coffee, Bourbon, & Cocoa into a 2 cup glass measuring cup.  Add salt and stir.  Set aside and allow to "cool" if necessary.

3.) Chop up 6.5 ounces of dark chocolate and add to a microwave safe bowl.  Sprinkle with water and heat on high for 30 seconds.  Stir after 30 seconds and continue these two steps until chocolate is fully melted.

4.) Beat softened butter until fluffy (about 2 minutes in the Kitchenaid Mixer) and add sugars.  Mix to integrate and scrape down sides of bowl to fully incorporate ingredients.  Add eggs one at a time, allowing for each one to be fully integrated.  Mix in baking soda, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate.  Scrape down sides and proceed to step 5.

5.) Now, add the bourbon and flour mixtures.  Begin by adding 1/3 of the bourbon mixture and mixing to fully integrate.  Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to fully integrate.  Add half of what's left of your bourbon mixture.  Then, add the last of the flour mixture, mix to integrate.  Finally, add the remaining bourbon mixture.  This process may seem tedious, but it's the best way to properly integrate both the wet and dry components of this cake.

6.) Scrape down sides of bowl to make sure your batter is fully mixed up.  Your batter will be a creamy almost pudding-like consistency and this is good! Scrape batter into prepared bundt pan and smooth on top.  Pop into oven and cook for 45 minutes or longer.  Cooking times vary on this recipe.  I checked my cake at 40 minutes and it was almost done, whereas Elise calls for an hour and fifteen minutes.  The best rule of thumb here is to check at around 40 and see what your oven's cooking temperament is.

7.) Remove from oven when a knife comes out clean.  Allow to sit for five minutes, and then, carefully, loosen the cake from the pan.  I like to scrape along the perimeter with a knife and then tap the bundt pan all around the outside with the handle. This scraping and taping procedure seems to loosen a cake nicely and decrease risk of sticking.

8.) Place a plate over the top of your bundt pan and with the help of oven mits, luck, focus, and charm, quickly flip the pan & plate upside down.  Set plate on a level surface and slowly lift up the bundt pan.  If you do this last step too quickly, you risk the cake sticking and tearing.  So, as you're lifting up the bundt pan, check to feel if the cake pulls at all.  If it does, set the pan back down on the plate and proceed to tape all around the bundt to loosen the cake some more.  It will eventually, but you must be patient!

9.) Once cake is fully loosened, allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving.  I use a sifter for an even snow-fall effect.  Enjoy!

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Bourbon Glazed & Cookie Encrusted Ham

In the midst of making Sam's birthday cake and frying a 15 pound turkey (recipe forthcoming), I made sure to put even more meat on the table: HAM.  I've never actually roasted a ham before and this is the first one.  Yet, I have fabulous memories of family cooking ham during the holidays, and I always wanted to try cooking a giant loaf of well, pig's meat.

So, when you've never done anything in the kitchen before, who do you turn to? EASY.  Alton Brown. Alton is like the father of cooking--he explains how everything works, the science behind "everything," and couples some fantastic recipes with his didactic-style cooking show.  I caught the episode he did on hams--"Ham I Am"--a few months ago and this particular recipe stood out: not only was a delicious city ham packed with brown sugar and mustard, but a ham spritzed with Bourbon and graham cracker cookies on top. What's not to love? If you buy the ham pre-cooked, in natural juices, and yes, spiral cut, the below recipe is easy, fast, and clearly delicious.






Bourbon Glazed & Cookie Encrusted Ham 
This recipe comes from Alton Brown over at Food Network and can be found here.  Alton's recipe is brilliant--take a fantastic roast of ham, cover it in a brown mustard, brown sugar, bourbon, and graham crackers and OH MY GOD.  It's soo good.  I've made no changes to the recipe below and I can promise that it is a huge hit.  One important note though: this calls for a "city" ham and after preparing this recipe, I've discovered that not all hams are the same.  Some have water added, some are cooked in natural juices, and some are just processed meat packed on a bone.  To insure that you don't fall into the latter category, check out Alton's episode "Ham I Am" from Good Eats to clarify that you're getting the best ham for your dinner table.

* 1 city style ham (brined, hock end)
* brown sugar, enough for sprinkling over ham (about 2 cups)
* Bourbon bottle & spray spout, 1 ounce
* 2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies

NOTE: The following recipe is part II of Alton's recipe.  Why? Well, I bought a pre-cooked ham (saves you A LOT OF TIME).  For an uncooked ham, check Alton's direct recipe for the first few steps.

1.) Preheat oven to 350F.  Remove ham from packaging, rinse, and dab with a paper towel to remove excess water, oil, or fat.  Place on a roasting pan and brush with a liberal coat of brown mustard.

2.) Sprinkle on brown sugar and press in to stick as much as possible.

3.) Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon.  Laugh at your Jim Beam spritzer bottle.  Proceed....

4.) Pack on as many of the crushed cookies as you can manage.  Make sure to cover the whole surface area.

5.) Tent the ham with tin foil (don't wrap fully, but "tent" loosely, and cook for 1 hour, or until the inside temperature is 140F.

6.) Let roast rest for 15 minutes until serving.  If cooking an uncarved roast that was not pre-cooked, allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.  Enjoy!


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