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With the holidays just around the corner – we’re sharing a very special recipe today that would be a great addition to your holiday dessert table!
This decadent, flourless Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Tore is a chocolate lovers dream!
The torte gets its rich and fudgy flavor from both melted bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. The flavor of the chocolate is intensified with the addition of bourbon, and some toasted and ground pecans and a subtle texture to the creaminess of the chocolate.
Credit for this incredible recipe belongs to Suzanne Lombardi, one of the founders of Boston-based Dancing Deer Baking Co. – a popular mail order bakery that also sells their baked goods at Whole Foods Market and other grocery and specialty stores throughout the US and Canada. I clipped this recipe from the pages of the Boston Globe magazine many years ago. (The original article notes that Ms. Lombardi used to make this Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Torte for Beans, a local espresso bar chain that used to operate in Brookline and Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.)
The original recipe also included a chocolate glaze on top – but I have found that this Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Torte was far decadent enough without adding the glaze. (But if you really want to send this torte over the top – I’ve included the glaze ingredients at the very bottom of the recipe.)
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Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Torte
Note: For best results, you will want to bake this torte using the water bath method. See here for step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons melted butter, for preparing the pan
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- Whipped cream and strawberries, for serving
Instructions
- Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
with melted butter. Cut a large single sheet of aluminum foil – making sure that it is wide enough to surround all sides of your springform pan. (We recommend using extra wide aluminum foil if it is available rather than two narrower pieces of foil to avoid any chance of leaking.) Wrap the pan, making sure that the sides of the pan are fully covered by the foil. Also make sure that you don’t tear the foil as you wrap it. Set pan aside. - In a small dry skillet, lightly toast the pecans over low heat. Let cool, then using a mini food processor, grind the pecans until uniform sized crumbs. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Please butter and chocolate pieces in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring and being careful not to brown the butter or scorch the edges of the melting ingredients. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs just until they are broken up. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed for 5 minutes or until the mixture triples in volume. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
- With a wooden spoon, fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and then do the same for the pecans and bourbon – stirring just until all of the ingredients are evenly mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.
- Place the springform pan inside a baking pan that is large enough to hold the pan and also large enough to allow for water to surround the springform pan. Then, carefully add about an inch of very hot water to the baking pan so it surrounds the pan, being careful not to splash any water into the prepared pan with the torte mixture. (You want to add enough water to the pan to ensure that the water does not fully evaporate during the baking process.)
- Bake the torte for 40-45 minutes or until it is just set in the middle. (The top will crack when it settles if you over bake the torte.) Carefully remove the springform from the pan of hot water, and place the pan on a rack to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, leave the torte in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan. Slice into 12 thin wedges. Serve with whipped cream and strawberries.
with melted butter. Cut a large single sheet of aluminum foil – making sure that it is wide enough to surround all sides of your springform pan. (We recommend using extra wide aluminum foil if it is available rather than two narrower pieces of foil to avoid any chance of leaking.) Wrap the pan, making sure that the sides of the pan are fully covered by the foil. Also make sure that you don’t tear the foil as you wrap it. Set pan aside.
, grind the pecans until uniform sized crumbs. Set aside.Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Notes
If you’d like to make the glaze that was part of the original recipe, here are the instructions:
Ingredients:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
Instructions:
In a saucepan, melt all ingredients over medium heat, being careful not to brown the butter or scorch the edges. Stir to combine.
Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Pour the glaze over the chilled cake, letting it drip down the sides of the torte. (Use an offset spatula if necessary to ease the glaze over the top and sides of the cake.)
Allow the glaze to set for 30 minutes.
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The recipe seems a little light on pecans. Only 1/2 cup?
Not sure if you read the post but the pecans are toasted and ground and add a subtle texture to the fudgey chocolate….
we will use our 10 inch springform pan and DO IT !!
no need to start to thinking about losing any weight with this pie in the mind to do.
thanks for your recipe,,,, Margaret
Hope you enjoy the recipe Margaret! The cooking time will probably a little less with the larger pan – hope that helps! Martha
Ooooo this sounds like the perfect dessert for a dinner party!
Thanks Leigh! (I think so too!)
I am swooning with delight right now as my husbands birthday is Friday and I want to make this for him. He is gonna be thrilled. It’s tough being a Halloween baby because with all the other sweets, no one wants cake, but I do feel sorry for him because people only care about their costumes. I got him a Prince Charming costume. Tights included! Velvet cape included! Tassels included!
I love your costume idea Laura! 🙂 And Happy Birthday to Tom! My birthday is the 29th (tomorrow) so I definitely know what it is like to have a Halloween birthday! Hope Tom enjoys the cake!
This cake both sounds and looks great. Combination of chocolate, pecans and bourbon without a doubt is very delicious.
Thanks Medeja – it is a great combination indeed!
I love everything in this! Bourbon is my drink of choice:-). The pecans and chocolate would taste wonderful with a little bourbon – great holiday recipe!
Thanks Becki – if bourbon is your drink of choice I think you will love this cake! 🙂