Active Time:

30 minutes

Cool Time:

2 hrs

Total Time:

4 hours 20 minutes

Servings:

12-16 servings

This moist and tender cake is a refined dessert that is flavored with whiskey just enough to impart the flavor you desire throughout each bite. The cake is a brown sugar sour cream cake that is lightly spiced with cinnamon, allspice ginger, cardamom and whiskey. It’s then brushed with a whiskey simple syrup once it’s baked, then drizzled with whiskey chocolate ganache. It’s then decorated with chocolate curls that are bittersweet.

Make sure you mix your sugar and butter carefully until they’re soft and fluffy while making the batter. this is the key to helping the cake rise and prevent it from becoming too heavy. This cake is delicious served with coffee or espresso and you could also garnish it with lightly sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche, or even ice cream.

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 cups (about 12 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3/4 cup (6 1/2 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) whiskey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups (about 14 ounces) packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• Baking spray with flour

Syrup

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) whiskey

Ganache

• 1 cup (about 5 ounces) bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips (from 1 [10-ounce] package), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (optional)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) whiskey

Additional ingredient

• Bittersweet chocolate shavings

Directions

Make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix allspice, flour baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cardamom into the bowl of a large one until thoroughly mixed; set aside. Whisk together sourcream whiskey, vanilla, and sour cream in one small bowl until thoroughly combined and set aside.
2. Beat butter using a stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment at medium speed until it becomes creamy approximately 1 minute. Then add granulated and brown sugar. Beat at medium speed until soft and fluffy about 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs one at each time, beating until the eggs are fully incorporated after each addition, approximately 15 seconds for each egg, stopping to scrape sides of bowl as required.
3. Gradually mix flour and butter mixture in three additions in succession with the sour cream mixture starting and ending with the flour mixture and beating at low speed until the mixture is blended following each addition. Generously spray the 12-to-14-cup bundt pan in baking spray. Put the batter in the pan and spread it evenly using an ice cube.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden toothpick placed in the center comes back clean, between 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour, 15 mins. Remove cake from oven and allow cake to cool on an uncooked metal rack 10 minutes. Transfer cake onto wire rack.

Make the syrup

1. Whiskey and sugar to a boil in a small pot over medium heat, stirring frequently. Stir frequently, until it is reduced to an almost syrupy consistency, around 1 minute. Spread warm Syrup generously over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely on wire racks approximately 2 hours.

Make the Ganache

1. Place the chocolate pieces in a large, heatproof bowl and put aside. Cook corn syrup and cream in a small pot over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is steaming and beginning to rise around the edges in approximately 2 to 3 mins. Pour over chocolate immediately in bowl and let it sit in a quiet place for 3 minutes. Stir continuously until chocolate has completely melting. Stir in butter until melted. Whiskey should be stirred in until blended and the ganache is smooth and shiny.
2. Pour ganache in an even layer over the cake. Set aside until the ganache is fully set, which should take about 30 minutes. Cut and serve. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for until 4 days.