Day 30 – Black Russian Cake

It’s finally here! The last day of my Sexy Eats Experiment.  As much as I have enjoyed divulging my culinary escapades in prose, it has been quite a trial for me to commit to preparing a recipe every day and making sure to post a blog entry on time with photos I deem acceptable.  At last, my self-inflicted challenge has come to a conclusion.  For the last day, I decided to bake a cake to celebrate.  Only InterCourses’ Black Russian Cake would suffice for this occasion.

Process

I usually steer clear of cakes that can’t be baked in spring form pans because they end up broken otherwise.  However, since I was challenging myself, I went ahead and preheated the oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly greased a 10-inch Bundt pan.

The Ingredients

For the cake:

Butter for greasing

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

3⁄4 cup strong coffee

1⁄2 cup crème de cacao

1⁄4 cup Kahlúa

1 package dark-chocolate cake mix

1 (31⁄2-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding

For the topping:

11⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons strong coffee

3 tablespoons Kahlúa

3 tablespoons crème de cacao

For the cake, combine the oil, eggs, coffee, crème de cacao, and Kahlúa in a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the cake mix and pudding mix, and stir until just combined. Pour into the Bundt pan until three-fourths full. (Save any remaining batter for cupcakes or simply eat on the spot.) Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean of batter. (For miniature Bundts, reduce the baking time to 20 to 30 minutes.) Invert the cake onto a serving plate and punch holes throughout the cake with a skewer or ice pick.

While the cake is baking, prepare the topping. Be sure to sift the confectioners’ sugar well, or the glaze is sure to be lumpy. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, coffee, Kahlúa, and crème de cacao until the sugar dissolves. Spoon over the warm cake, reserving several tablespoons to drizzle onto cut slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Alternative

The cake seemed a bit strong for my tasted so I decided to create a chocolate ganache rather than the recipe for the topping. Another reason is because when ever I try to make icing with confectioners’ sugar, I end up biting into blobs of sugar.  I think this is a sightly healthier alternative with the dark chocolate.  I kept the alcohol but switched  out the confectioner’s sugar for 12 ounces of dark chocolate chopped ( you can also use chocolate chips), half cup of heavy whipping cream and a one tablespoon of butter.  I combined the heavy whipping cream and butter over heat until it was warm, then I slowly poured it into my chocolate.  Once the chocolate was all melted I added the coffee, Kahlua, and creme de cacao.

 Results

This is one of the moistest cakes you will ever eat.  The flavor of the alcohol after its finished baking is muted compared to what you smell while you are mixing the batter.  This is dense luscious cake that puts you into a very happy mood.  There is a reason for the alcohol in the icing as well as in the cake, its potency helps you relax.  You have some major aphrodisiacs in this cake, chocolate and coffee, which are strong stimulants.  Need I say more?

I definitely pleased my husband with all the cooking I did this month and the Black Russian Cake was the cherry on top.  If nothing else, I have a very happy man with a very happy tummy.   The food was the centerpiece of our conversations. The initiative to prepare something everyday was the core of admiration. We may not have reached physical intimacy with each recipe, but we did achieve some emotional intimacy, which recently had been lacking. I believe that counts and it’s a start.