Chocolate-Bourbon Cake

This is a cake that my husband loves-but it is so much work (and it smells so good) that I wanted in on the fun so had to figure out a gluten and dairy free method.

Inspired by: simplyrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

5 oz Earth Balance Coconut Spread

2 cups King Arthur's Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour

5 ounces Enjoy Life Mega Chunks

1/4 cup instant espresso (can use instant coffee)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup bourbon whiskey Jack Daniel's is Gluten-Free

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), for sprinkling

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Pam Spray  a large bundt pan (10 cup capacity).  

2 Melt chocolate in a microwave oven or in a double boiler over simmering water. Let cool.

3 Put instant espresso and cocoa powder 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. Stir in whiskey and salt; let cool.

4 Beat coconut spread until fluffy (2-3 minutes on high). Add sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda, xanthan gum and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

5 With the mixer on the lowest speed, beat in a third of the whiskey espresso cocoa 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 45-55 minutes.

6 Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 20 minutes. Let cool. Sprinkle powdered sugar through a mesh sieve over the cake before serving.

The cake came out really nicely!  It is moist with a nice texture.  It cooked much quicker than the regular-flour cake did-

I actually baked 2 cakes (so I could taste it before taking it to a party).  The lighter color pan (Nordic Ware) cooked in 45 minutes.  The darker pan took 55.  As you can see, it is important to let the cake cool before taking it out of the pan, the darker pan cooled 10 minutes, the lighter pan cooled 15.  I would recommend letting it cool slightly longer to ensure it gets out safely!