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Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Torte
Ingredients
For Cake
  • 1 1/2 C. toasted pecans
  • 1 C. 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces bittersweet not unsweetened or semisweet chocolate (chopped--I used a mixture of bittersweet and semisweet)
  • 1 C.sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 C. sugar
  • 1/3 C. bourbon
For The Glaze
  • 1/2 C. whipping cream
  • 1/4 C. 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 10 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
  • 1 C. chopped toasted pecans
  • 12 pecan halves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch-diameter springform pan with sides that are at leasst 2 1/4 inches. Line the bottom of your springform pan with parchment paper. Dust the pan with flour and tap off the excess.
  2. Using a food processor, finely grind the pecans. Watch them carefully, if you over-grind the pecans you will turn them into pecan butter. Pecan butter is wonderful, but not for this recipe. You just want a fine dry grind.
  3. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate to the butter and stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted smooth. Add the cocoa powder to the melted chocolate and stir. Remove this mixture from the heat and set aside.
  4. Put eggs and sugar into a bowl and whisk just until blended. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk to blend. Add the bourbon and the ground pecans and mix. Pour this batter into your prepared springform pan. Bake for about 45 minutes. You want the sides of the torte to be set but the center of the torte will jiggle a bit when the pan is shaken. Put your baked torte on a rack and cool completely.
  5. To make the glaze, put butter and cream in a heavy medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the chocolate and stir until it is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let the glaze sit for about 5 minutes. You want it to be a bit cooler but you want it to be pourable, too.
  6. Remove the torte from the springform pan by releasing the sides. Invert the torte onto a 8-inch cardboard round or plate. Remove the parchment paper. Set the cardboard round or plate on a cookie sheet (to catch the excess chocolate) and pour the glaze over the torte. You want the glaze to competely cover the top and the sides of the cake. Use a spatula to spread the glaze onto the sides of the torte. Put the torte in the refrigerator and let it chill for about 10 minutes. This will allow the glaze to partially set but still a little sticky. Remove from the refrigerator and press the chopped pecans around the sides of the torte and decorate the top of the torte with the pecan halves. Refrigerate overnight. Before you serve the cake, let it sit on the counter for a while. Ideally, you will want to serve it cool but not cold. You will also want to move the torte onto a clean cardboard round or a clean plate. I used a long spatula to safely move the cake.