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Chocolate Bourbon Cake
4.6 from 120 votes

Chocolate Bourbon Cake

Chocolate Bourbon Cake is a rich chocolate cake infused with bourbon and enhanced by a glaze combining heavy cream, butter, espresso, vanilla, and bittersweet and milk chocolates. The cake is moist and deeply chocolate-flavored with a hint of bourbon warmth, finished with a smooth, glossy chocolate bourbon glaze for added richness and a complex flavor profile.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 536 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the cake:
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus 3 tablespoons for dusting the baking pan
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • 16 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg large
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • raspberry jam optional, to spread on slices
  • Whipped Cream optional
For the glaze:
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
  • 4 ounces milk chocolate finely chopped

Instructions

For the cake:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Head on over to Epicurious for instructions. (Use the teaspoon of instant espresso powder and the 1 ½ cups of water instead of coffee).
For the glaze:
  1. Add cream, butter, espresso powder, vanilla and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until you have a uniform consistency.
  2. Take off the heat and add the Bourbon.
  3. Pour the hot cream mix over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.
  4. Stir together until everything is well combined and no chocolate clumps remain. (You may need to heat the mixture over a pot of hot water to get rid of the last pieces of chocolate.)
  5. Pour over the cake and let set.
  6. Serve with whipped cream and/or raspberry jam.

Notes

  • Use baking chocolate bars instead of chips or morsels for the glaze to ensure smooth melting.
  • Hershey's natural unsweetened cocoa powder is recommended for the cake’s chocolate flavor.