Chocolate Bourbon Cake

This moist, delicious cake is also pareve. I've made it with Bourbon, Cointreau, and Cognac - all equally wonderful. The recipe is based on one from my favorite dessert author, Maida Heatter, in her Book of Great Chocolate Desserts.

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces excellent unsweetened chocolate or 8 1/3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (see adjustment to sugar below)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups cool or cold strong coffee (either regular or decaf)
• 1/2 cup bourbon (or cognac or cointreau)
• 1/2 pound solid vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups granulated sugar (decrease by 6 2/3 T. if you use bittersweet chocolate)
• 3 large eggs

Yield: one 9 inch Bundt cake

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

If you don't have a 9 inch Bundt pan, use any tube pan with a 10 cup capacity. Spray the pan with non-stick vegetable spray, and set aside.

Place the chocolate in a microwave proof dish, and gently melt. Set aside to cool. Put the flour, baking soda, and salt into a sifter and sift into a small bowl. Cream the vegetable shortening with the vanilla and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat until just smooth. On low speed, alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions with the coffee and bourbon in two additions. Be sure to use a splatter shield or turn off the mixer to avoid splattering the liquids.Scrape down the mixing bowl after each addition. This will be a fairly thin batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Rotate the pan from side to side to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 70-75 minutes until a cake tester comes out dry. Cool in pan for about 20 minutes, cover with a rack and unmold. You can sprinkle the top of the cake with a bit of confectioner's sugar to decorate, but this cake is so moist that it needs no other adornment. It freezes very well; be sure to double wrap it and thaw it at room temperature in the wrapping, discarding the wrapping afterwards.