Rich Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Cake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. NOTE: My pans were 2-inches deep. The cake rose very slightly over this level. No batter spilled over in the oven but I did cut a few little crusty pieces from the rim of the cake pans. And I enjoyed the little treat as well.
• 2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• 3. Pour boiling water over cocoa; whisk until smooth. Add milk and vanilla; whisk to combine.
• 4. At a medium speed on electic mixer in a large bowl; beat butter until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar beat about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 5. Reduce speed on mixer to low. Add dry ingredients alternately with cocoa mixture beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• 6. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans; bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans and cool completely on wire racks for about 1 hour. NOTE: When cooling this cake I made the mistake of flipping one layer top side down on the rack. This layer wanted to crumble a little because it stuck to the wire rack while the other layer I flipped bottom side down did perfect. Take a few seconds to flip the layers so that they are bottom side down on the wire racks.
• 7. Next you will split the layers so that you will have 4 layers. I know of 2 ways of accomplishing this: 1. Use a Cake Slicer/Leveler to slice each layer in half horizontally. This is the method I used. OR 2. Once layers have cooled completely; wrap and freeze each layer for about 1 hour. Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally.
• 8. Brush both sides of each of the 4 layers with bourbon. Place 1st layer on plate; spread pecan frosting between each of 3 layers. Do not spread on top of the 4th layer. Spread top and sides with chocolate frosting. Garnish if desired with more chopped pecans. For best flavor, allow cake to set for 24 hours at room temperature.
• 9. FROSTING AND FILLING: You will be splitting this frosting in half. You will add pecans to one half for the filling and cocoa to the other half for the outer frosting.
• 10. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, reduce speed to low and add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating until well blended. Add 1/2 cup cream and the vanilla; beat until blended.
• 11. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until smooth. Remove 1/2 of this mixture to another bowl. To one bowl stir in the nuts and 1 Tbsp of cream. This bowl is your filling. To the other bowl add the cocoa, the remaining 1 Tbsp cream and the melted chocolate chips; beat until well blended. This bowl is your frosting.
• 12. NOTES: If frosting mixture seems too dry add a little more cream, if too wet; add a little more powdered sugar. I find when spreading frosting or filling that if you dip the spatula in water before spreading either the frosting or filling it will spread easier without lifting the cake crumbs.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325ºF.
• Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl over a double boiler.
• Remove from heat, and set pot aside leaving the bowl on top of pot.
• Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 of the sugar in a metal mixing bowl.
• Place bowl over slightly simmering water, and whisk until yolks reach 140ºF.
• Remove bowl from heat and beat egg and sugar mixture with an electric mixer to a ribbon stage.
• Add the Bourbon to the chocolate mixture, then fold the yolk and sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture.
• Mix flour with pecans and fold into chocolate mixture.
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and the remaining sugar to form soft peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Allow cake to cool in pan and then place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
• Once it's frozen, remove sides of springform pan.
• Invert cake onto a wire rack and remove bottom of springform pan.
• Prepare ganache by bringing heavy cream to a boil and pouring cream over chocolate chips in a bowl.
• Whisk until completely smooth.
• Set wire rack with cake on top of sheetpan.
• Pour warm lukewarm ganache over cake, coating cake completely, recoating if necessary.
• Gently jiggle wire rack to help drain excess ganache.
• Remove cake from wire rack with spatula and place on a serving plate.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the bourbon, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl (it may get clumpy looking--that's ok) and set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and coconut oil until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add 1 3/4 cups of the granulated sugar and beat until fluffy, about 1 more minute. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add the dry ingredients in four batches, alternating with the wet mixture, starting and ending with the dry. Stir in the pecans.
• In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and a clean bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and whip to stiff peaks, about 5 minutes total. Fold the egg whites into the batter in thirds.
• Pour into a bundt pan and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool before turning the cake out of the pan.
• For the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, bourbon and 2 tablespoons water. Once the cake is cool, top it with the glaze and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place a greased 10-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Securely wrap foil around pan. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 325°., Meanwhile, drizzle caramel topping over crust; sprinkle with pecans. , In another bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and remaining flour until smooth. Beat in eggs and yolks just until combined. Stir in cream and bourbon. Pour into crust; place springform pan in larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake until center is almost set, 65-70 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife, remove foil. , Chill for 8 hours or overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove sides of pan. If desired, just before serving, top with whipped cream, pecans and caramel sauce. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Position oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat oven to 375°F
• Spray or grease the bottom and sides of an 8 x 2-1/2-in. springform pan lightly with vegetable oil spray.
• I used a regular round cake pan and it worked fine with a little flour sprinkled on top of the oil or butter, whichever you prefer to use.
• In a food processor or blender, pulverize pecans and flour until the mixture has the texture of fine meal.
• Set aside.
• Finely chop your 3 oz of chocolate.
• In a large bowl, combine chocolate, cocoa powder, and 3/4 cup sugar.
• Add boiling water; whisk until chocolate is melted.
• Whisk in egg yolks and bourbon.
• Set aside.
• Combine egg whites with cream of tartar in a medium-size bowl.
• Beat at medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Gradually sprinkle in remaining sugar and beat at high speed until the mixture is stiff but not dry.
• Whisk flour and pecans into chocolate mixture.
• Fold 1/4 of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
• Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• It will sink like a souffle, and the top crust may be broken.
• Cake may be stored at room temperature for one day before serving.
• To unmold and serve: Detach cake from the pan by sliding a small knife around the perimeter.
• Release the spring; remove the pan sides.
• Leave cake on the bottom of the pan and transfer it to a serving dish.
• Sieve powdered sugar very lightly over the top.
• Serve & enjoy with those you love!