Drunken, Sweet, Sticky Chocolate Whisky Cake

When it comes to Valentine's Day (or any special dessert), What's better than sweet and salty?
Well, Sweet, salty, and boozy, of course! The recipe for this dark chocolate, whisky cake topped with salty pretzels, drizzled milk chocolate and caramel is sure to make your sweetheart swoon.

Thanks to Pete and Gerry's Heirloom Eggs and King Arthur's Flour for sponsoring this 'Baking With Love' contest. Follow the board on Pinterest to see the sweet concoctions from fellow competitors and boards with other fun recipes. By the way, don't forget to "LIKE" my cake. :-)  It IS pretty darn delicious.

INGREDIENTS

• CAKE
• 2 cups King Arthur's All-Purpose flour
• 2 large Pete and Gerry's Heirloom eggs- I used the green Ameraucana 
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,  plus 3 tablespoons for dusting pan
• 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup whiskey- I used a Scottigh Highlands Scotch
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla

• GARNISH
• 2 dozen thin, salted pretzel sticks- lightly crushed and split into shards
• 1/4 cup caramel pieces
• 1/2 cup Hershey's chocolate baking pieces
• 1 teaspoon of Crisco

NOTE: I have made this same cake using a 10-inch Bundt pan, but opted for 3 mini- springform pans.

Most of the alcohol in this cake cooks off, but you can replace the whisky with stout beer or more coffee if you prefer a different flavor profile or no alcohol.

DIRECTIONS:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter or grease each springform pan, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.

Heat coffee, whiskey, butter, and remaining cup cocoa powder in a saucepan over low-moderate heat, whisking, until butter is melted. Immediately remove from heat

Add sugar and whisk until dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes

While chocolate mixture cools, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and vanilla in another small bowl, then whisk into cooled chocolate mixture until combined well. 

Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined (batter will be thin and bubbly). Pour batter into pans, filling 2/3 full.

Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 40 minutes. Start checking at 30 minutes.

Cool cake completely in pan on a rack. About an hour. Loosen toggles on springforms cake pans and pop cake onto rack.

GARNISH when completely cool.

Crush pretzels into various shards & little crumbs for sprinkling on top. 

Melt chocolate and caramel bits each in a separate bowl with a 1/2 teaspoon of Crisco. I melted them in the microwave. Be careful not to over cook the caramel or it will burn.  

Ice the cake with chocolate, top with pretzels and a drizzle of caramel.

REMEMBER... like true love, this cake improves over time... Make a day or two in advance and let the whisky flavor really soak into the cake. !