March is undoubtedly birthday month here, with Son A springing us forward and Son B closing it out with a bang! Naturally, birthday cakes are a big deal. Since both were little, I’ve mixed up and iced each boy’s birthday cake based on their yearly phase. Even though the cakes and places we’ve lived have changed over the years, the recipe that’s traveled with us for the last 17 years or so hasn’t–a chocolaty-mocha, bourbon cake filled with cookies ‘n’ cream layers. It’s our family’s go-to b-day cake!
Some years, the boys’ decorating requests are relatively easy like the sandwich or hamburger cakes. Others are more elaborate, such as the Star Wars comic spoof (bottom top right corner) or the grease monkey tire cake (middle center). Their ideas definitely keep me thinking of how to up my game!
Son A turns 20 this year, so the usual question arose…what do you want your cake to look like? We’ve gone through many phases, but the latest one has been mechanics related. There was the 16th birthday spark plug, a 17th year grease monkey tire, and last year’s plane engine with revolving rotor (bottom center). Knowing this tool-based trend would likely continue, I cringed on how I was going to up this year’s cake…would it be another battery-operated motor carefully placed in the buttercream, or a over-the-top (and somewhat disproportionate) tool?
None of the above! Son A didn’t have a request. Whoa! Stop the mixer! When pressed further, he jokingly said to make him a big-ole-banana cake. Alrighty then! Let’s do this!
20 years ago, on his first Halloween, Son A wore his inaugural monkey costume, earning him the nickname “Monkey.” It’s shortened over the years to “Monk.” Depending on the day, “Funky Monkey” or the “Chief Chimp” are also monikers for our favorite simian. Any way you peel it, we think Son A is a grand gorilla! (Pun intended…please don’t fling anything!)
A banana-shaped cake could be pretty boring. But it just so happens Son A has a trio of cherished chimps stashed away in his room. You know the much loved, stuffed animals…missing eye or arms, with Frankenstein-esque stitches zig-zagging across their ratty-looking bodies. Out of storage came the three monkeys with the curious names of Spencer, Something and Bank. We have no clue what Son A was thinking when he named them! Son A had no clue what I wanted them for!
Let me present to you Son A’s 20th birthday cake. His banana request fulfilled, and filled with Mocha Bourbon Birthday Cake and Cookie ‘n’ Cream Filling. Fresh out of storage, Son A’s childhood monkeys, Spencer, Something and Bank (left to right), are ready to celebrate with him again!
The Mocha Bourbon Birthday Cake recipe I use is based on cake-artist Colette Peters’s recipe. This exceptionally moist cake combines flavors of rich baking chocolate, espresso, and bourbon. Plus, there’s no need to drag out the standing or hand-held mixers. Just whisk everything together! It’s ideal for carving funky shapes, freezes well, and fills beautifully. You name it–raspberry or strawberry, chocolate ganache, your best buttercream, or this deliciously easy Cookies ‘n’ Cream Filling. Frost it with any type of flavored buttercream like Italian Meringue Buttercream, ganache, or rolled fondant like Satin Ice. Any way we slice it, we think this makes the perfect birthday cake and hope you do too!
Mocha Bourbon Birthday Cake
Chocolate, coffee, and bourbon you say?! This easy-to-make and easy-to-eat mocha bourbon cake is moist and flavorful. It’s perfect at a birthday party or any special celebration! Adapted from Colette Peters’ Bourbon Chocolate Cake recipe.
- Prep Time: About 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: About 45 Minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 1 Hour
- Yield: Two 8-inch or 9-inch Cakes 1x
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt (kosher or table)
1–3/4 cups hot coffee
1/4 cup bourbon*
5 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans. Line the bottoms of each pan with a parchment circle. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine hot coffee, bourbon, unsweetened baking chocolate, and unsalted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit until completely melted. Whisk until smooth. Add granulated sugar and allow mixture to come to room temperature. Whisk dry ingredients into the coffee mixture. Be sure to blend well without flour lumps. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Pour batter evenly into prepared round pans. Bake for 45 minutes total, checking after 30 minutes for even baking. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Allow cakes to cool completely on a wire rack in their pans. Cakes can be turned out and used immediately. (Be sure to remove the parchment circles.) Each cake can also be wrapped with plastic wrap and aluminum foil to be refrigerated or frozen for later use. Ice and fill as desired.
Notes
A high dollar bourbon is not necessary for this recipe. Equal parts of whiskey could also be substituted.
IMNPB
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