Pecan, Chocolate and Bourbon Cake

This decadent pecan, chocolate and bourbon cake is exactly what we need for a splurge. With its creamy chocolate ganache, this nutty chocolate flourless cake is a chocolate lover’s dream come true.

I adapted this recipe from the Olive and Gourmando cookbook by Dyan Solomon. I used chocolate and cocoa powder that I had on hand and the result is a rich and dense chocolate cake covered with smooth ganache and crunchy toasted pecans. A hint of sea salt provides a nice contrast to the sweet.

This cake takes a bit of time to make, but the results are worth the effort.

The recipe makes about 12 servings.

Tips

For cocoa, I used Hershey’s Special Dark Baking Cocoa, but you can use another cocoa, such as Valrhona, Callebaut or Ghirardelli.
For chocolate, I used Ghirardelli chips, half semi-sweet and half bittersweet. Other good chocolate (about 70% dark) options are Valrhona, Green & Black’s (organic) or Lindt, chopped it into small pieces.
The original recipe suggests that you can substitute good rum for the bourbon.

Equipment

If you want a loaf cake as I show in the photo, you’ll need two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pans for the recipe. If you prefer one larger cake, use an 8 x 12 inch rectangular baking pan.
Parchment paper to line the pans.
A double boiler or a heat-resistant bowl that fits snugly into a heavy saucepan.
A food processor.
A mixer (stand version or hand-held).

Ingredients

For the cake you need the following ingredients.

1 3/4 cups roasted pecans (see instructions below)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup good bourbon

For the ganache and topping you need these ingredients.

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
Maldon sea salt

Directions

This pecan, chocolate and bourbon cake requires several steps, which I’ve broken down into sections.

Butter two loaf pans. Line the pans with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Roasted Pecans

To roast the pecans, heat your oven to 325 degrees. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet. Roast them for about 15 minutes, stirring with a spatula about halfway through. Watch the nuts carefully so that they don’t burn.

Set the nuts aside to cool completely before starting the cake.

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, slightly chop the pecans so that they are broken into small pieces. Take out about 1/2 cup of the chopped nuts to use for the top of the cake.
Continue processing the rest of the pecans until they are the texture of a medium-fine meal. Don’t grind them too fine.
Add the ground pecans, cocoa and salt to a bowl, lightly stir together and set aside.
In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring the mixture from time to time with a spatula. When melted, remove the pan from the heat.
Using your stand or hand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until just combined. Don’t blend too much. On a low speed, add the bourbon in a steady stream, then add the melted chocolate. Add the pecan, cocoa mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Scoop the batter into the baking pans and bake for one hour, or until the cake begins to pull from the sides of the pans. Place the pans on a cooling rack and let cool completely before removing the cakes from the pans.

Ganache

Add the chocolate to a large heat-resistant bowl.
In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the cream to the start of a boil (don’t let it boil).
Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir gently using a spatula until the chocolate is melted.
Add the cubed, room-temperature butter, one cube at a time, stirring briskly to emulsify the butter and chocolate. Do not use a whisk.

Assemble the Cake

One cake at a time, pour the ganache onto the middle of the cooled cake. Use a spatula to quickly spread the ganache to the edges of the cake before the ganache sets.
Top the cake with the remaining chopped pecans and sprinkle with Maldon salt flakes.