CHOCOLATE PECAN BOURBON BUNDT CAKE: National Pecan Day!

I love Bundt cakes because they always look so pretty. I have lots of bundt pans, and almost anyone would be perfect for this cake. Given that today is National Pecan Day, I thought I'd post a recipe for Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Bundt Cake. It's slightly adapted from an older Betty Crocker recipe. As always, use the very best ingredients for the best cake. You can glaze or not... I prefer my bundt cakes plain, but the chocolate glaze is great--just add some chopped pecans on top!

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 90% cacao chopped, melted, and cooled
1 cup chopped pecans

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

Directions 

Cake
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan
In large bowl, beat all Cake 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.

Glaze:
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.

Photo: Betty Crocker