Chocolate Bourbon Cake

My friend Judy celebrated Thanksgiving with a sumptuous meal and for dessert she served an array of different pastries and one of them was this Chocolate Bourbon Cake. A wonderful time was had by all and with time I will post some of the fantastic foods from that beautiful evening. She made two and three of everything so as to be able to feed a couple other families - it was lovely!

• Ready In: 24 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• COFFEE-BOURBON SYRUP

• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup  strong brewed coffee (we used Cuban coffee)
• 1  tablespoon Bourbon

• CHOCOLATE-BOURBON CAKE

• 1⁄2 cup Bourbon
• 1 1⁄3 cups sugar
• 12  ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1  cup butter, cut into pieces
• 5  large eggs
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided
•  hot water
•  hazelnuts (optional) or   macadamia nuts (optional) or  pecans (optional)

Directions

1. MAKE COFFEE-BOURBON SYRUP:
2. Bring sugar, eater and coffee to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Cook 5 minutes; remove from heat & stir in bourbon.
4. MAKE CHOCOLATE-BOURBON CAKE:
5. Preheat oven to 375°F
6. Grease a 9- x 2-inch cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and set aside.
7. Combine bourbon and sugar in a large saucepan; bring mixture to a boil.
8. Remove from heat, and add chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
9. Set aside, and let cool to room temperature.
10. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until very well blended.
11. Fold in flour and 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder.
12. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
13. Set pan in a large roasting pan filled to depth of 1 inch with hot water.
14. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting with Coffee-Bourbon Syrup every 15 minutes after a crust has developed on cake's surface.
15. Cool cake; cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
16. Transfer cake onto a serving plate, and dust with remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
17. Top with hazelnuts.
18. ENJOY!