Shelly's Recipe

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE WITH BOURBON-ESPRESSO GLAZE

Category: Cakes

For cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

For glaze
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tbsp packed golden brown sugar
2 tsp instant espresso powder
6 tbsp whipping cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp bourbon

Vanilla ice cream

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350. Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.

Combine butter, chocolate and brewed espresso in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate and butter melt (mixture may look curdled). Remove from heat. Add sugar and bourbon. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs and vanilla in large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture and stir just until blended. Transfer batter to pan; smooth top.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; cool completely.

For glaze: Stir butter, golden brown sugar and instant espresso powder in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Stir in cream. Simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually add powdered sugar, whisking until smooth. Mix in bourbon. Cool slightly.

Place cake atop rack on baking sheet. Slowly drizzle glaze over cake, allowing glaze to run down sides of cake and cover as much of cake as possible. Spoon any glaze drippings from baking sheet over cake. Let stand 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome. Let stand at room temperature.) Great with vanilla ice cream. Serves 10