Double Chocolate Bourbon Cake

An overcast Tuesday in Madison Wisconsin; each person has their own way of dealing with the weather. Given up to my own particular vices, it would be easy to spend the day with a bottle of cheap bourbon and a fat pot of coffee. However, in the spirit of living up to my parents' expectations, I whipped out this old family recipe.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BOURBON CAKE

It goes like this, friends:
1 3/4 cups strong coffee
1/4 cup bourbon
5 squares (5oz.) unsweetened chocolate
2 sticks (1/2 lb.) butter, cut up
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

preheat to 275. butter two 9 inch cake pans. Lay a 12 by 4 in. strip of waxed paper down in the center of each pan and up the sides, butter the waxed paper. Dust pans with unsweetened cocoa of flour, shake out excess. place coffee, bourbon, chocolate, and butter in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan. stir or whisk occasionally over med. heat until chocolate and butter are melted. add sugar. turn off heat and let cool for 10-15 min. stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. sift flour, baking soda, and salt. add flour gradually to the chocolate mixture, beating with whisk or electric hand mixer on medium speed. beat in eggs, then vanilla. pour batter into prepared pans and rap the pans gently on the counter to break air bubbles. bake for 45-50 min. let cool completely before removing. easiest to frost when chilled. pull wax paper to loosen the cake and refrigerate until firm. transfer to a cake form or dish and fill and frost with cream cheese frosting.

I used a simple cream cheese frosting:
4oz cream cheese (softened)
4oz butter (not salted, softened)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer, add the sugar slowly, beat until smooth, add vanilla.
I threw in another tsp. of bourbon just for flavor.

It will brighten your day, really.