Bourbon Balls and Such

Writing that post about Ben and Jerry's new bourbon flavored ice cream reminded me of an amazing recipe that my fiance and I made. It was a level ten, being the hardest dessert I have ever attempted. With the skill we mastered from this cake, we should just open up our own Carlos Bakery. We slaved away in the kitchen making a Bourbon Ball Torte with Bourbon Balls on top of it, made with Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon. Hey-oh!





If any brave soldiers want to take on this challenge, here is the recipe:

Kentucky Colonel Bourbon Balls

1 cup pecan halves plus additional for garnish

1/4 cup Kentucky bourbon

1 pound confectioners' sugar

1/4 pound butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 pound bittersweet chocolate

1 tablespoon melted paraffin

-Soak the 1 cup of pecans in bourbon for several hours. Mix the sugar, butter, and vanilla until creamy. Drain the pecans, reserving the bourbon liquid that remains, mix the liquid into the sugar mixture

-Roll the sugar mixture into marble-sized balls around the pecan halves. Chill the balls in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

-Melt the chocolate and add the paraffin. Dip the cooled balls into the melted chocolate, use a fork to retrieve the balls from the melted chocolate mixture. Top each ball with a pecan half and allow to dry.

Bourbon Ball Torte

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 and 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup bourbon

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

16 large bourbon balls (recipe above)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

-Break the chocolate into pieces and mix it with the boiling water until completely dissolved. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and 2 cups sugar until fluffy and pale yellow. Continue heating and add the egg yolks, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.

-Add the chocolate mixture and vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine the buttermilk and bourbon. Add 1/2 of the flour and then 1/2 of the milk to the butter-chocolate mixture, continuing to mix and scrape the sides of the bowl.

-Add the remaining milk and flour and mix on medium-high speed until smooth. Be careful not to over beat the batter. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold the egg whites into the batter and pour into 4 buttered and floured 9-inch round pans. Bake on the center rack for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool. Invert pans and turn out cakes.

-To begin assembling the torte, use a very sharp, serrated knife to cut off the tops of the cakes to produce 4 even layers. Whip the 2 cups cream with powdered sugar to form very stiff peaks. Chop 8 of the bourbon balls into small pieces and add to the whipped cream. Chill for at least 1 hour so the filling can set up and support the weight of the layers. Brush away excess crumbs from the tops of the cakes and place one layer on a large, flat plate. Top with 1/3 of the filling and spread out to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Add the next layer and repeat the process. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours. 

-For the last stage of assemble, scald the 1/2 cup cream and add to the chocolate chips, whisking until completely melted and smooth. Transfer the cake to a wire rack over a baking sheet and pour the glaze over the cake to coat completely. Cool again, and once the ganache surface has solidified somewhat, decorate the edge with the remaining bourbon balls. Geesh. And. We. Are. Done.

As Buddy would say, "FUGETABOUTIT"