Flourless Whiskey Chocolate Cake

I stumbled across this recipe by chance. I was googling for a recipe for couscous salad and while skimming through a blog I found this recipe. I haven't baked something new in a while (read "years") and Sagi's birthday was around the corner. The concept of whiskey cake was intriguing and I decided to take the chance. The ingredients were basic and the recipe looked pretty doable.

The recipe calls for Irish whiskey and I did not have any at home. The recipe said we can substitute it with a regular whiskey/ bourbon/ rum. Well, as I was preparing it for Sagi's b'day, I decided to pick the most expensive looking bottle in the bar (I am a teetotaler) and I went for the unopened bottle of Jim Beam.



Ingredients

7 ounces/ 200 grams dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
10 tbsp/ 5 ounces/ 150 grams unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
1/2 cup/ 100 grams granulated sugar (powdered)
1/4 tsp salt (Omit if using salted butter)
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup/ 100 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup whiskey (I used Jim Beam)

1. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with butter. Line the bottom with baking paper and grease the top of the paper with butter
2. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Bring the eggs  to room temperature. Chop the butter into small pieces and place it in a large heat -proof bowl. Bring it down to room temperature. I would recommend powdering the sugar as I find the regular sugar in India has large granules. I powdered and then measured the sugar. Chop the chocolates into small pieces and add along with the butter.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade and place a rack in the center of the oven. I use a convection microwave.
4. Melt the chocolate and butter by microwaving them on high for 30 seconds. Microwave it, then take the bowl out and mix the mixture with a silicon spatula. Put the bowl back and microwave for another 30 seconds. When the chocolate is almost completely melted, mix till the entire chocolate melts. I found this method better than the stove top method used in this recipe. 
5. Add the sugar and salt in the chocolate-butter mixture and beat it on low speed till the mixture is smooth (30-40 seconds)
6. Beat in one egg at a time till its fully incorporated and there is no visible white streak. Pause between the additions and scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicon spatula, as needed.
7. Sift in the cocoa into the bowl, add the vanilla and the whiskey. Mix on low speed until well combined. The batter will be thick, smooth and glossy.
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. You will notice that it will be quite easy to transfer the batter into the pan as the batter is thick. Bang the pan on the edge of the kitchen counter to spread the batter evenly throughout the pan. 
9. Place the pan in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 to minutes till a toothprick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with few crumbs sticking to it. I checked my cake for doneness at 15 minutes and I found it wobbly in the centre. I allowed it to cook for additional 5 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE the cake or else it will dry. The cake has to be soft and moist.
10. Take the cake pan out and place it on a wire rack to cool for five minutes. The recipe called for running a knife around the edge of the cake pan to loosen up the cake. However, I did not do it as the cake easily came out into the serving plate.
11. The original recipe also called for a whiskey chocolate ganache, which I omitted.

The cake was absolutely moist, delicious and rich in chocolate. I thoroughly enjoyed this decadent dessert with liquor and so did my birthday boy!!!