Chocolate Brandy Cake #BundtBakers

Both rich and somehow also light, this chocolate brandy cake with black pepper and cloves gets better and better each day! And that glaze! Perfection.

This recipe was further adapted from one I found on Cooking @ The New York Times with an introduction explaining that it was adapted for their publication from a recipe created by a pastry chef named Dol Miles. 

Of course, I had to look up Chef Miles. I discovered that she is the executive pastry chef for Frank Stitt’s three restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama and that growing up in Bessemer, Alabama, the chef learned to cook and bake from her mom, Cora Mae, and her aunt, Queen Ester Harris, who spent a career working in a school cafeteria.

A three-time James Beard Award finalist, Chef Miles was named Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation in May 2018. It really thrilled me that a chef who initially learned her skills at home and not at a culinary institute won! By all accounts, her nominations and award are very well deserved. 

Chef Miles is known for taking southern classics like coconut pecan cake, sweet potato pie and bourbon-glazed pound cake to another level for fine dining, where a single slice will set you back nine dollars. I have no idea if some version of her boozy chocolate cake is served at the restaurants but it sure should be. The original called for whiskey and was served with a dusting of powdered sugar. I decided to kick it up a notch with VSOP brandy and a chocolate brandy glaze.

Chocolate Brandy Cake with Chocolate Brandy Glaze

Since I was baking this Bundt cake for a “celebrating love” theme, I used my Nordic Ware Elegant Heart pan. (<affiliate link) Unfortunately, this cake is so tender that it didn’t want to come out of the narrow part of the pan at the top of the heart. I suggest you use a traditional Bundt pan without a lot of nooks and crannies where the cake can get stuck to avoid this problem. 

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more for buttering pan 

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons or 85 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups or 355ml brewed strong coffee

1/2 cup or 120ml brandy

1 cup or 200g granulated sugar 

3/4 cup or 150g light brown sugar

2 cups or 250 grams all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 oz or 78g dark chocolate candy bar, chopped (I used Ghiradelli 72% cacao.)

For the chocolate brandy glaze:

2/3 cup or 130g semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 tablespoon brandy

Method

Preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C. Liberally butter a 10-cup Bundt pan and dust it with 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder, as needed.

In a large pot over low heat, warm the coffee, brandy, butter and remaining cocoa powder, whisking occasionally, until butter is melted. The batter for the cake will be mixed completely in this pot so make sure you use one that will be big enough for all of the ingredients. 

Whisk in sugars until dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. 

In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. 

Pouring slowly, whisk about a 1/4 cup of the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs.

Now slowly whisk egg mixture into chocolate mixture. 

Add dry ingredients and whisk to combine. 

Fold in the chopped chocolate bar.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. 

Transfer the Bundt pan to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. I also like to carefully turn the pan around about two-thirds of the way through the baking time so the cake browns more evenly. My oven has hotter and cooler spots and I find a rotation is helpful. 

Set the cake pan on a wire rack to cool.

To make the chocolate brandy glaze: Place the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup and bandy in 2-cup microwavable measuring cup. Microwave uncovered on medium (50% power) for 1 to 2 minutes or until the chocolate chips have softened and the glaze can be stirred smooth.

Loosen the sides and middle of the cake with a toothpick and invert the pan on a serving plate. Hope the cake falls out nicely. If not, remove the stuck pieces and pop them back in their rightful positions on top the cake. Pour the chocolate brandy glaze over the cooled cake. 

Enjoy!

As mentioned above, this month's Bundt Baker theme is "celebrating love" which isn't just for Valentine's Day, of course. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all the Bundt cake links: 

• Chocolate Brandy Cake by Food Lust People Love 
• Chocolate Mayonnaise Bundt With White Chocolate Ganache by Sneha's Recipe 
• Death by Chocolate Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• Ferrero Rocher Bundt Cake by Magical Ingredients 
• Full of Love Chocolate Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Heart Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Here's My Heart Amaretto Bundt by Sweet Sensations
• Love & Chocolate Beet Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar 
• Persian Love Cake, Bundt-Style by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

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