Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake (Gluten Free)

This Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake is a true treat, but you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make it. It is a simple bundt cake, quick to mix up and get in the oven. It takes a while to bake but it is worth the wait!

It is packed with chocolate, coffee, and bourbon, a match made in heaven. The aromas will be strong before you mix them into the batter but they meld together during baking. The coffee is used to enhance the chocolate flavor, and the bourbon is a beautiful accompaniment – a very delicious flavor combination!

Chocolate and bourbon were born to go together … one of my favorite desserts is dark chocolate ice cream or gelato with a little bourbon poured over it. Oh my goodness, give it a try when it gets warmer!

Nick Malgieri, the creator of this beautiful cake, is a fantastic chef instructor, prolific and award-winning cookbook author, voted one of the ten best pastry chefs in America by Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazines, and founded the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City. He is a guest instructor at cooking schools across the nation. If you have the opportunity, sign up for one of his classes, you will thank me!

I was able to take a class with him and am still using some of the tricks he taught us that night. I love the tips that chefs share when they are making dishes for a class, that is the best part for me!

Be sure to check out Nick’s blog when you have a few minutes. In addition to this Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake, there are a ton of other amazing options. You will be inspired by his incredible recipes and photos!

When you are making bundt cakes, be sure you butter every nook and cranny thoroughly. I use room temperature butter smeared on some paper towel and work my way around the pan, starting at the very bottom and then doing the sides and finally the center. This helps guarantee that your cake will release easily and cleanly.

While I have given you two different glazes if you want to use them, but I went very simple and just used fun sprinkles to create a snow shower effect. All of them would be great ways to finish your cake.

I hope you have fun with this Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake and enjoy every single bite!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!

Ingredients needed for Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake:

• Cake: unsweetened chocolate, coffee, bourbon, flour, sugar
• Baking soda, salt, butter, eggs, vanilla
• Glaze: unsweetened cocoa powder, butter, confectioners’ sugar
• Vanilla, hot water, milk

PRO Tip:

If you’ve forgotten to take the eggs out of the refrigerator, you can warm them up by putting the whole (un-cracked) eggs in a bowl of very hot water and let them sit for about 5 minutes. They will be warm enough to use in this recipe!

PRO Tip:

My kitchen is cool and the butter didn’t soften as much as I would have liked and didn’t coat the cake pan very well. My cake stuck a little on some of the grooves. Be more diligent than I was!

How to make Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake:

1. Pour hot coffee over the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl, whisking until fully melted, then pour in the bourbon; whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer
2. Add the butter and beat on low until completely incorporated with small bits of butter covered in flour; add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, and scrape the bowl well
3. Add half the chocolate/bourbon mixture, mixing on low until smooth and blended, then add remaining chocolate mixture and beat on low to incorporate, then increase to medium and beat for 2 minutes; pour batter into a well-buttered large bundt pan, filling no more than 3/4 full
4. Bake at 325°F for 60 to 70 minutes until a thin knife inserted halfway between the edge and the center tube; remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack set over a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and cool completely
5. Make the glaze, either chocolate or vanilla, if desired and pour over the top of the cooled cake, allowing it to slowly drip down the sides; the parchment will catch any drips and keep your counter clean, let sit 15 to 30 minutes until the glaze has firmed up before slicing and serving

PRO Tip:

Just like when a recipe calls for wine in your cooking, you want to use a good quality bourbon in this cake. If it doesn’t taste good to you for sipping, it won’t taste good in the cake.

PRO Tip:

If you are using a smaller bundt pan (like the one I used), only fill it about 3/4 full to allow for rising. If you want, you can place the pan on a baking sheet to protect your oven in case it overflows the pan.

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Bundt pan
• Mixing bowls
• Stand mixer
• Wire rack

Gluten-Free Tips:

You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

*NOTE: The major gluten-free organizations have declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Some distillers may use caramel coloring or flavorings which sometimes contain gluten. For some very sensitive people this may cause issues. If you are making this cake for a very reactive person, you can use 1/2 cup potato vodka mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar in place of the bourbon called for to approximate the flavor.

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Yield: 12 to 14 servings

Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake (Gluten Free)

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This Chocolate Bourbon Pound Cake is packed with chocolate, coffee, and bourbon, a match made in heaven. You won’t really taste the coffee, it is there to enhance the chocolate flavor, and the bourbon is a beautiful accompaniment – a very delicious combination!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Additional Time 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Bundt Cake

• 5 ounces (142g) unsweetened chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup (227g) very hot brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup (113g) hot water
• 1/2 cup (113g) good quality bourbon*(see note) or more coffee
• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks; 227g) unsalted butter, softened, cut into chunks
• 3 large eggs (150g), at room temperature (see Pro Tip above)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze (optional)

• 6 tablespoons (32g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons (71g) butter
• 1 cup (113g) confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons hot water, divided (only use as much as needed)

Vanilla Glaze (optional)

• 2 cups (227g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 to 3 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°F (163°C). Butter a large bundt pan thoroughly – make sure you coat all the nooks and crannies!
2. Make the Cake: Place the chocolate in a medium mixing bowl and pour the hot coffee and hot water over it. Be sure to immerse the chocolate, then wait 1 to 2 minutes to let the chocolate start to melt. Whisk until smooth. Start in the center and work your way to the edges. Whisk in the bourbon.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the butter to the flour/sugar mixture to the dry ingredients and beat on the lowest speed until the butter is fully incorporated. It will look a bit like biscuit dough when you’ve cut in the butter with small pieces of butter coated in flour. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Once you mix in the liquids it will look like a normal batter.
5. Start the mixer on the lowest speed and add the eggs and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute. Stop and scrape the bowl and beater. Add half the chocolate mixture and beat slowly for 1 minute. Add the remaining chocolate mixture and mix in on low. Slowly increase speed to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes. This is an important step, don’t skimp on the full 2 minutes. The batter will be thinner than usual, more liquid.
6. Pour the batter** into the prepared pan and bake the cake until it is fully risen, firm, and the point of a thin knife inserted midway between the side of the pan and center tube comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. My oven took about 65 minutes.
7. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip it over to unmold, and cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Prepare the Chocolate Glaze (optional): In a small saucepan, melt the cocoa and butter over low heat whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat.
9. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Then add the hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time until the glaze is thick and smooth. Pour it over the top of the cake, letting it slowly drip down the sides of the cake. Sprinkle immediately with fancy sprinkles if using. Let set for about 30 minutes to firm up before slicing.
10. Prepare the Vanilla Glaze (optional): Whisk together the sugar, melted butter, and vanilla, adding the milk, one tablespoon at a time until it falls in ribbons off of the whisk but holds its shape for several seconds before melting back into the glaze in the bowl.
11. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bundt cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle immediately with sprinkles if using. Set aside to set for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the glaze.
12. If you double-wrap this cake (before glazing), you can freeze it for longer storage.

** I used a smaller bundt pan and it didn’t hold all the batter. Only fill the pan about 3/4 full to avoid a spillover. If you are concerned, place the filled bundt pan on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat just in case. The Silpat will help keep the pan from sliding around on the baking sheet!

Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com

Notes

Recipe Source: Bake! by Nick Malgieri

Chocolate Glaze from AllRecipes

Vanilla Glaze from Sugar Spun Run

You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

*NOTE: The major gluten-free organizations have
declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Some distillers may use caramel coloring or flavorings which sometimes contain gluten. For some very sensitive people this may cause issues. If you are making this cake for a very reactive person, you can use 1/2 cup potato vodka mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar in place of the bourbon called for to approximate the flavor.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.

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