Chocolate Bourbon Berry Bundt Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Butter a 10″ bundt pan, then use the additional 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and dust the inside of the pan liberally. Rotate and shake the pan to coat all of it with the cocoa. Tap the pan on the side of the sink to remove the excess cocoa powder. Set pan aside.

In a large saucepan, place the 1 cup of cocoa powder, coffee, butter and alcohol of your choice (I used bourbon). Heat over low heat until warm and the butter is melted. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Set aside and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes or so.

Pour the slightly cooled mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and affix a paddle attachment. In a smaller bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and the salt and set aside.

Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl then add them into the chocolate mixture while the attachment is running. Slowly add the egg mixture to prevent any scrambling. Add the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients in small portions, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding the next. The batter will be very thin and bubbly. There may even be some small lumps. Do not worry about those.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove pan from the oven and set it on a rack. Let cake cool completely in the pan for 2 hours at least. Do not be tempted to remove it sooner. Once cooled invert the pan onto a plate or cake stand and using a toothpick poke the top of the cake a bunch of times to make small holes. Brush the 4 tablespoons of bourbon on the cake and allow it to soak in.

For the ganache:

Into a heatproof bowl placed over a small pan of simmering water, add the whipping cream. Heat and stir until hot. Remove bowl from the heat, add the chocolate and allow it to sit for 15 minutes or so. Then stir to combine and make sure all the of chocolate has melted. If the mixture is too thin, allow it to cool for an additional few minutes until it reaches the right pouring texture. You want it to be thick, but unctuous.

Pour ganache over the cake and decorate with berries or topping of your choice. Serve immediately or not depending on your inclination. This cake will improve with age.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.