Ingredients
- ½ cup (approximately) fine dry bread crumbs
- 5 ounces (5 squares) unsweetened chocolate
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup espresso
- Boiling water
- Cold water
- ½ cup bourbon
- ½ pound sweet butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs (large or extra large)
- Additional bourbon (optional)
- Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
476 calories; 23 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 33 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 87 milligrams cholesterol; 210 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
12 servings
Preparation
- Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dust the inside of a 9-inch bundt pan (called a minibundt pan), or any other fancy tube pan with a 10-cup capacity, with fine dry breadcrumbs. Invert the pan over a piece of paper and tap lightly to shake out excess crumbs. Set aside.
- Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on low heat. Cover and cook only until melted; then remove the top of the double boiler and set it aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- In a two-cup measuring cup dissolve the coffee in a little boiling water. Add cold water to the 1 1/2 cup line. Add the bourbon. Set aside.
- Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat to mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Add the chocolate and beat until smooth.
- Then, on low speed, alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions with the liquids in two additions, adding the liquids very gradually to avoid splashing and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Be sure to beat until smooth after each addition, especially after the last. It will be a thin mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Rotate the pan a bit briskly, first in one direction, then in the other, to level the top. In a minibundt pan the batter will almost reach the top of the pan, but it will not run over and you will have a beautifully high cake.
- Bake for one hour and 10 to 15 minutes. Test by inserting a cake tester in the middle of the cake and bake only until the tester comes out clean and dry.
- Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then cover with a rack and invert. Remove the pan, sprinkle the cake with a little optional bourbon, and leave the cake upside down on a rack to cool. Before serving, if you wish, sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar through a fine strainer.
50 minutes
Dining and Cooking