Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake
Updated Feb. 29, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing pan
- 2cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting pan
- 5ounces unsweetened chocolate
- ¼cup instant espresso powder
- 2tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1cup bourbon, rye or other whiskey, more for sprinkling
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 2cups granulated sugar
- 3large eggs
- 1tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
492 calories; 23 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 35 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 208 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity Bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In microwave oven or double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate. Let cool.
- Step 2
Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Add whiskey and salt; let cool.
- Step 3
Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Step 4
On low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with whiskey mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes for Bundt pan (loaf pans will take less time, start checking them after 55 minutes).
- Step 5
Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. Let cool before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
A moist and rich cake, but I found crust dry and a tad bitter. So, the next time I prepped the pan with fine sugar instead of flour. I also reserved 4 ozs of the bourbon and made a glaze using it and butter, sugar, a drop of brown icing gel and vanilla. A keeper!
This has become my foolproof go-to bundt cake secret weapon. The crumb is so fine that it can be sliced super-thin if serving a crowd. This cake also stays moist for days -- and is notably better the second day after mellowing so I recommend making it a day ahead. The character of the whiskey or bourbon you chose is prominent enough that it adapts well to individual tastes or preferences based on which you select. Once I used Four Roses bourbon and Five Roses flour to make a 9 Roses Bundt. BOOM!
The first time I made the batter I was tempted to lock all the doors, turn off the lights and ladle every drop of it down my throat. I got hold of myself and poured the batter into the pan. The cake was marvelous! I am about to make it again and am so happy to see all the notes on this.
It’s a good cake. Not the best cake of all times. Bakes longer than the recipe says, requires complicated steps and a lot of good liquor. If you did any solid bundt cake recipe with cocoa powder and soaked it in even just half a cup of whiskey, it would probably be just as good or better.
I baked this as my son's 21st birthday cake last year. My bundt pan is in the shape of a heart. I followed instructions but the cake would NOT come out of the pan-- fell apart into over a dozen chunks!! I tasted a bite-- it was phenomenal. Soooo, i lined a shoebox with foil and dumped the cake chunks inside. Mixed up icing and tucked a bowl of it in there. We ate chunks out the box and iced them as we went. Lit some candles for good measure, lol. He asked for a repeat this year!
Can anyone comment on the watery batter? My cake isn't baking up as effortlessly as the reviews indicate. I keep re-reading the recipe and can't find where I made a mistake. The toothpick never comes out clean and it's been baking for a long time.
@Jill the batter should not be watery, which makes me wonder about how that could’ve happened — did you fill the water to 1 cup or add 1 cup of water? Did you alternate the flour and liquid mixture? Not sure what else it could be (I’m not an expert but I have made this cake probably 15 times and have never had this issue. Best of luck!!)