Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake with Bourbon Pecan Caramel

If you are a chocolate lover of any kind, this cake is for you. I’m not usually a cake person, but the Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake with Bourbon Pecan Caramel that my sister, Gianna, made for my dad for Father’s Day was so good, I knew I had to share it. The most rich and moist chocolate cake you’ve ever had, draped in smooth and sweet chocolate ganache, finished with a heavy drizzle of sweet and nutty caramel. The bittersweet chocolate flavor from the ganache is offset by the deep caramel flavor, and accented by the slight scent of bourbon. All of this is held up by dense yet soft layers of cake, laced with espresso to intensify the chocolate. With so much depth of flavor, it’s hard to pick out what my favorite part of this cake is. My sister struck gold with this one. If you’re feeding a crowd, don’t count on leftovers – each bite is better than the last.

The secret to making this cake so heavenly – rich, soft, and decadent all at once – is the buttermilk and espresso powder. Buttermilk results in a moist, tender, soft cake while the espresso powder helps the cocoa powder bloom. I find you don’t really taste the espresso in the final cake, it just makes the chocolate flavor that much richer.

However, I can’t forget about the ganache. I am a huge chocolate ganache fan – I find it tastes even smoother and richer than plain chocolate sometimes. This ganache coats the cake and melts in your mouth, creating the perfect chocolatey pairing for the rich cake. Once you try ganache on cake, you may never go back to ordinary chocolate frosting.

And finally, that luscious caramel. This sauce is salty, sweet, a little crunchy, and very bourbon-y. This is a sauce for true bourbon lovers, and the slight bitterness and smoky scent it provides works so well with the sweet caramel base. This sauce is great on this cake, but it would also taste fantastic over ice cream, on apple pie, on a s’more, you name it!

I hope you love this Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake with Bourbon Pecan Caramel as much as I do! If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you thought or feel free to ask a question! I’d also love to see what you made! Tag me in your food pics @fortheperfectbite or use #fortheperfectbite on Instagram.

Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake with Bourbon Pecan Caramel

Decadent, rich cake, velvety ganache, and bourbon-scented caramel make this a chocolate cake like you've never had before.

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Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Cooling Time 3 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14

Ingredients

  

Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 ¾ cups cocoa powder
• 2 tsp espresso powder
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or bars, chopped if bars
• 2 cups heavy cream

Bourbon Pecan Caramel

• ⅔ cup pecans roughly chopped
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 4 tbsp bourbon

Instructions

 

Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Grease 3, 9-in. springform cake pans.
• In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat to combine the eggs, buttermilk, 1 ½ cups room temperature water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and combined.
• Divide the batter evenly among the three greased springform pans.
• Place the cake pans in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then rotate and bake for an additional 15 mintues. If a toothpick inserted in the center comes out wet after 30 minutes of baking, bake an additonal 2-3 minutes.
• When finished baking, remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Remove from the pans and place the cakes on a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature.
• While the cakes bake, prepare the ganache: Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Warm the heavy cream on the stovetop or in the microwave until just barely steaming, not boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, then whisk until smooth.
• Allow the cakes and ganache to cool completely, about 2 hours.
• When the cakes and ganache have cooled, assemble the cake. Use a few tablespoons of ganache between each layer, as well as to frost the top and sides of the finished layer cake.
• Drizzle the cake with the cooled Bourbon Pecan Caramel and serve.

Bourbon Pecan Caramel

• To a saute pan over medium heat, add the pecans and vegetable oil. Toast the pecans until just browned and heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly.
• To a large saucepan, add the granulated sugar and light corn syrup. Stir together over medium-high heat, until the mixture comes to a boil.
• As the sugar syrup boils, it will darken in color. Do not walk away from the stove, as the mixture can burn quickly. When a rich golden brown color is reached, quickly whisk in the heavy cream.
• Remove the saucepan from the stove and mix in the kosher salt, bourbon, and toasted pecans.
• Allow the caramel to cool until manageable (about 15 minutes), then transfer into a container with a lid to continue cooling in the refrigerator, about 1 hour.
• Serve however you'd like or use to finish the chocolate ganache layer cake.

Keyword Chocolate ganache layer cake with bourbon pecan caramel