Fudgy Chocolate Pecan Rum Cake

This cake is decadent and celebratory and checks all of the boxes that in my world, make a great cake. Rich, fudgy, chocolatey, and worth the (slightly more than average) effort that it takes. Ground pecans and melted bittersweet chocolate give this cake it’s dense but soft consistency. A dark chocolate ganache with chopped toasted pecans on top initially seemed excessive but I’ve now decided they’re non-negotiable toppings. Oh and there’s a good amount of rum! A perfect boozy kick to go with all that chocolate. I hope you have a good excuse to make and eat your cake very soon!

I came across this recipe in The Perfect Cake cookbook. It required separating the eggs and I really wanted to cut down on the steps since you already need to melt the chocolate, grind up the pecans and then make the batter. Whipping egg whites separately didn’t seem quite as crucial, so I whipped them all together until airy and it worked out perfectly well. I also used almost double the amount of butter as it seemed a bit less to me for the amount of flour that was used. I was a little sceptical about making these changes when I put the cake in the oven, but it baked up so beautifully, I didn’t need to worry. Not greasy or overly buttery, perfectly rich and soft despite not whipping the egg whites first. Yay!

It’s quite similar to this almond whiskey cake, but with more flour which means it’s not quite as fudgy, but has a more cakey texture which I really enjoyed. It is on the denser side of the cake spectrum and I added just a bit of baking powder to give it some lift. The ganache I used was half the original recipe’s recommendation and it’s still a very generous layer!

The only issue I ran into was I was unable to finely grind the pecans. I’m not sure if it’s because pecans have more fat compared to say, almonds, but I could grind them up only coarsely before they started releasing their oils a little. Since I wasn’t going for homemade pecan butter, I stopped there and I’m happy to say the texture of the cake was still lovely. If you can grind them finer, that’s good too!

This cake is best eaten at room temperature because its fudgy texture intensifies once refrigerated. And after you add the ganache, it does need to stay chilled, so leave individual slices out for a while so they soften and have the perfect balance of cakey and fudgy. They’re also great lightly warmed up.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did!

Fudgy Chocolate Pecan Rum Cake

A rich and fudgy cake with dark chocolate, ground pecans and a dark chocolate ganache

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

  

For the cake

• 225 gms dark chocolate (70% to 75% cocoa is best)
• 100 gms butter, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 cups pecans (150 gms)
• 4 eggs at room temperature (integral to the recipe, I can't suggest substitutes)
• 1 cup soft brown sugar (215 gms)
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dark rum (60 ml)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

For the topping

• 100 gms dark chocolate (55% to 66% cocoa)
• 1/2 cup cream (125 ml) (whipping cream is best but regular cream is ok)
• 1/3 cup pecans (35 gms)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 150 C. Grease a 9 inch springform tin and set aside. You can also use a regular round tin but its best to line it with non-stick baking paper for easy removal of the cake.
• To make the batter, chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to a microwave-safe bowl along with the butter. Microwave on high in 10-second increments, stirring in between until smooth. Don't overheat the mixture and if some lumps remain, stir gently till they melt down in the residual heat. Set aside.
• Now grind the pecans and set aside. I found it difficult to grind them finely because the oils released quite quickly so I stopped at a coarse grind (see photos below). I used a food processor, but a blender/grinder might be a better for a fine grind. Either way, the texture of the cake will be great so don't worry.
• Now add the eggs, sugar and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
• Beat the eggs on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until foamy, thickened and slightly pale. This incorporates air into the eggs which helps the cake rise since we use less baking powder here to retain a fudgy texture.
• Switch to the paddle attachment (if using a stand mixer). Add the rum and beat briefly on low speed to combine. Then add the melted chocolate and butter mixture, beating again on low speed to combine.
• Fold in the ground pecans with a spatula, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold again to combine into a thick batter. I prefer doing this step by hand to avoid over-beating the batter and also to ensure no dry flour is stuck to the base of the bowl.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and smoothen the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, no wet better. Set aside to cool completely at room temperature. Because the eggs had a lot of air beaten into them, the center may fall slightly as the cake cools.
• To make the topping, first spread the pecans out on an ungreased baking tray. Preheat the oven to 150 C and bake the pecans for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool, then break apart with your fingers into small pieces.
• To make the ganache, very finely chop the chocolate (make sure it's not cold from the fridge), and add it to a bowl.
• Heat the cream on low until just barely simmering. It should be hot but not boiling at all. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Then stir gently with a spatula, making sure all the chocolate is melted, into a smooth and glossy ganache.
• The ganache will be of a spreadable consistency when fresh and thicken as it sets on the cake. Spread it out over the top and sides of the cake, using a spoon to make a swirly pattern on the top. Scatter the toasted and chopped pecans all over the top.
• I like to cut into the cake immediately because that's when the texture is best, soft but fudgy and the ganache is super creamy. Once the ganache is added, the cake should be refrigerated in an airtight tin for 5 to 6 days. However, it will firm up when cold and become very fudgy so bring individual slices to room temperature or gently reheat them for the best texture. It can also be frozen for a few weeks. Happy baking!

Notes

Adapted from The Perfect Cake cookbook by America's Test Kitchen but the recipe is also on their website if you'd like to see the original version compared to the changes I made that are detailed in the post.

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