MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE WITH BOURBON-ESPRESSO GLAZE

Mississippi Mud Cake with Bourbon-Espresso Glaze image

Yield Serves 10

Number Of Ingredients 19

For cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces 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 teaspoons vanilla extract
For glaze
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
6 tablespoons whipping cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons bourbon
Vanilla ice cream

Steps:

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. 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.)
Serve cake with vanilla ice cream.