Boozy Chocolate Fudge Cake

This is the cake I made for my brother's 16th birthday this year. It was inspired by a bottle of "chocolate" wine which a friend of mine bought, wouldn't drink, and left in our fridge. It was essentially like a chocolate liqueur, but apparently made with red wine. Anyway, however unexceptional it was as a drink, it was fantastic in this cake. It added a certain richness, and to the glaze, it added a much appreciated kick. If you can't find / don't want to buy the Chocolat Rouge, I would suggest substituting it for Baileys or another liqueur of your choice (Triple Sec or brandy would be fantastic as well).

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

(Adapted from Baked Explorations)

• 1 oz dark chocolate, at least 60%, chopped 
• 1/2 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup heated Chocolat Rouge, or Baileys, or hot coffee.
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• generous 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs

For the Boozy Satin Icing:

• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup Chocolat Rouge, Baileys, or another liqueur of your choice.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 handful mini marshmallows 

Directions:

For the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter your favourite Bundt cake pan, or a similar sized pan of your choice.
• In a small pot, gently heat the chocolate, cocoa powder, and liqueur, stirring until the chocolate is just melted. Pour in the milk, and set it aside to cool.
• In another bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking soda and salt, and set this aside as well.
• In the bowl of your mixer, or in a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture alternating with the chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 325 F for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before removing from the tin.

For the Boozy, Satin Icing:

• Stir all of the frosting ingredients over low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool for a few minutes, stirring frequently to let out the heat, and when mostly cooled, pour or spread carefully over the cake. The frosting will remain fairly runny, so be careful not to pour too quickly, or it will all land on your plate.

* Let the icing set before serving the cake, and if you have extra icing left over, warm it up a little and pour it over the slices of cake when you serve it.

Enjoy!