Amaretto Coffee Chocolate Bundt Cake

Kerry Vincent (of Food Network fame) lives in the great state of Oklahoma.   (I bet you didn’t know that by her accent!)   I often wondered how she ended up in Tulsa, but I am glad to claim her as a fellow Okie.

Of course, most of you will know her from her Simon Cowell-like persona on Challenge.  I can’t help but think that she is simply a driven pastry chef, focused on perfection in all things sugary, not the  evil witch of confection.

Our local newspaper ran a story about her a couple of years ago and included her recipe for Decadent Dirt Cake.  I haven’t figured out why it is called dirt cake, but it is decadent.   I adapted her recipe to suit my own tastes and turned it into “Amaretto Coffee Chocolate Bundt Cake.”    This is my go-to cake because it is pretty easy to whip up.

I recently made it for a dear friend’s birthday.  It was a hit.

And in honor of the Oklahoma Sugar Arts Show (which Vincent hosts every year at the Tulsa State Fair), I decided to make it again tonight.    (The theme this year was “Wedding Cakes Rock” and I would have loved to have gone, but I really did not want to fight the fair crowds.)

Amaretto Coffee Chocolate Bundt Cake

2 sticks butter, melted
8 oz. dark chocolate, at least 50% cacao  (I was in a pinch this time and used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Chips. )
1 packet Starbucks Via (These are the little packets of super-ground  instant coffee you can buy at Starbucks.  Typically, you can get Via in any roast available.  I always try to use an Italian roast or Colombian.)
2 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. boiling water
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ c. self-rising flour
1 c.  all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 ½ t. vanilla
¼ c. amaretto (Use your imagination here.  Vincent’s recipe calls for Kahlua.  I have been wondering how Bailey’s would be?)
1 c.  sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine melted butter, chocolate and Starbucks Via in a sauce pan.  Heat on low until chocolate is melted.  Remove from heat.  Add sugar and boiling water.   Stir until sugar is dissolved.

In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa powder and flours.  (I often cheat and just whisk the flours and cocoa together.)

In a stand mixer, whisk eggs until pale and frothy.  Add vanilla and amaretto and continue to beat.  Change to paddle attachment.  Add sifted flour mixture and melted chocolate mixture alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

This is a thin batter.  Add almonds and mix just to incorporate.  Pour into a large prepared bundt pan.  Bake for one hour in preheated oven.  Cake is done when a cake tester inserted into cake comes out clean.

The cake will be a bit cracked on top.

Cool for 20 minutes in pan before inverting.  Finish cooling on baking racks.

This is a really moist cake.   I usually finish it off with just a dusting of powdered sugar.

If you don't want to dust the top with powdered sugar...

...you could serve this with some whipped cream. (Ooh, what about some Amaretto-whipped cream?)

So, I missed the Sugar Arts Show, some rockin’  wedding cakes, a corn dog, fried kool-aid (seriously?), and some interesting people watching (that’s for sure!) by not making it to the state fair this year,  but I did make a rockin’  chocolate cake of my own to celebrate another great weekend.

NOTE:   By the way, I am also celebrating being an honorable mention in the last CTB postings.   I was so honored that Molly Wizenberg read my post and deemed me worthy of an honorable mention.   Congrats to Foodycat for the win!

EPILOGUE TO NOTE:  More things to celebrate:

I just got a copy of Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin thanks to a giveaway from Meagan at A Zesty Bite.   It looks great and as you can see I need some help in the food photo department.

I was lucky again with a giveaway from The Book Girl at For the Love of Books.   She sent a copy of Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante my way.   I am almost done with Harlot’s Sauce  for the next CTB round, so I can’t wait to dive into this novel.

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