CHOCOLATE PECAN BOURBON BUNDT CAKE: National Bundt Day

Today is National Bundt Cake Day. With Thanksgiving coming up, I think you should consider this Chocolate Bourbon Bundt Cake, a variation  on Pecan Pie, for Thanksgiving! If you have any left over, this cake is great to toast the morning after Thanksgiving. This recipe is slightly adapted from an older Betty Crocker recipe. As always, use the very best ingredients for the very best tasting cake. The recipe calls for a chocolate bourbon glaze, but I think that's just too much. I like my bundt cakes plain. Nevertheless, I included the Glaze recipe below, in case you want to add it!

CHOCOLATE PECAN BOURBON BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients 

Cake 
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Bourbon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 oz unsweetened chocolate (or 75-90% cacao) chopped, melted, and cooled
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan
In large bowl, beat all ingredients except pecans with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in pecans. Pour into pan.
Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

And, if you want to add the Chocolate Bourbon glaze, here's the recipe:

Chocolate Glaze 

Ingredients

1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup powdered sugar
5 to 6 teaspoons boiling water
Chopped pecans 

Directions
In 2-quart saucepan, melt 1 ounce chocolate and 1 teaspoon butter over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in powdered sugar and water until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle cooled cake with Chocolate Glaze. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

How easy is that? Yum!!!

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding: Bread Pudding Day!

Yesterday was Bread Pudding Day, and I forgot to post this recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding. It's perfect for Thanksgiving or any time! As an extra bonus this recipe is dairy and egg free, so you'll feel you've indulged, but you won't have...at least not all that much. Recipe is from Chloe Coscarelli and appeared in the NYT in 2010. I have posted other Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipes, all of which include a thick sauce. This recipe is much lighter.

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients 
1 cup coconut milk
1 15-ounce can organic pumpkin (plain-no spices)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
10 cups cubed day-old bread of your choice (about 10 to 12 slices of sandwich bread, depending on the thickness of slices)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Guittard and Ghirardelli are nondairy)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 14 4-ounce ramekins (single-serving ceramic dishes) or a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.
In blender, process coconut milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, and spices until smooth.
In large bowl, toss bread cubes with pumpkin mixture and chocolate chips until each bread cube is coated.

If using ramekins:
Evenly sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into the bottom of each greased ramekin. Fill each ramekin to the top with the mixture and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon.

If using 9-by-13 baking dish:
Fill baking dish with mixture and lightly press down with back of spoon. Evenly sprinkle about 2 tablespoons brown sugar over the top of the bread pudding. The brown sugar will help the pudding to caramelize on the edges.
(Steps 1 through 3 can be done up to three days in advance; store covered in the refrigerator.)
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top is lightly browned.

If using ramekins:
Let pudding cool a few minutes, then carve around edges with knife to loosen and unmold.
Garnish with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm.

If using  9-by-13 baking dish:
Let pudding cool a few minutes before serving. Cut into portions, then garnish with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm.

The pudding can be baked right before serving or earlier that day and then reheated for 8 to 10 more minutes right before serving.

BLACK BOTTOM PUMPKIN PIE: Thanksgiving

Everybody dance The Black Bottom! See video clip below. I love Black Bottom Pie, but this pie is even more perfect for this time of year with the addition of pumpkin: Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie! And, if you don't make it today, bookmark it for Thanksgiving! It's a great twist on a great pie! Who doesn't love a layer of melted chocolate over a buttery crust topped by pumpkin? This recipe is from Epicurious.. and it's easy. I use a ready-made crust from Trader Joe's, but you can make your own -- either a regular buttery crust or a graham cracker crust.

BLACK BOTTOM PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS

BLACK-BOTTOM FILLING 
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
 8 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

PUMPKIN FILLING 
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
 pinch ground ginger
1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)
2 large eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

BLACK-BOTTOM FILLING 
In saucepan over high heat, bring cream and ginger to boil. Immediately remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.
Put chocolate in a mixing bowl. Bring cream and ginger to a boil again, and strain cream into bowl of chocolate (discard ginger). Stir mixture until smooth.

PUMPKIN FILLING 
In mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and spices. Whisk in pumpkin and then eggs, one at a time. Stir in evaporated milk and vanilla.

TO ASSEMBLE: 
Place cookie sheet in oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out crust, place in 9-inch metal pie pan, and pour in black-bottom filling.
Freeze for 10 minutes to firm up, then fill remainder of pie shell with pumpkin mixture.
Bake on preheated cookie sheet until crust is golden brown, about 50 minutes.
Cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Have a piece great pie and dance The Black Bottom!

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE STRAWBERRY SUNDAE: National Sundae Day!

Today is National Sundae Day. I love this 1950s Dairy Queen Ad for a Strawberry Sundae, but let's make it 2025! Add Brownies: Bake your own or buy some. Use real ice cream and fresh strawberries and make this delicious Chocolate Brownie Strawberry Sundae.

Chocolate Brownie Strawberry Sundae

Chop up some Brownies
Soften up some Vanilla Ice Cream
Slice a bunch of fresh Strawberries
Hot Fudge Sauce

Layer all ingredients in sundae bowls or cups or tall clear glasses, like a trifle. Pour hot fudge sauce over the whole thing!