Warm Chocolate Cake with Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce and Spiced Pecans Recipe

One of my favorite desserts from past year's EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festivals is from the Smokehouse Booth in the American Adventure Pavilion. The cake is delicious and chocolaty with Bourbon salted caramel sauce and spicy-sweet pecans. It's was so good! While it isn't available at every year's festival, here's a recipe from Disney so that you can make it at home.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce and Spiced Pecans

Serves 10

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

1/3 cup oil

1 large egg

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oil, egg, sour cream and buttermilk in bowl of standing mixer equipped with whip attachment. Add sugar, cocoa powder, flour and baking soda. Start mixing on lowest speed for about 30 seconds, then to second speed for another 30 seconds, and finally to third speed, mixing for about 3 minutes.

Place 1/4 cup of batter in greased half-cup ramekin. Place ramekin on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ramekins. Bake for 13-15 minutes until tops of cakes have cracked. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup Bourbon

1 tsp salt

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and lemon juice in stainless steel saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until mixture turns amber color, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and stir in condensed milk. Add Bourbon and salt and mix until smooth. Keep warm until ready to serve, being careful not to burn sauce. 

Can also be prepared 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated. To serve, warm over low heat, adding splash of water to return to sauce consistency.

Spiced Pecans

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups pecans, broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and cayenne pepper, stirring well. Once brown sugar thickens, add pecans and stir.

Remove from heat and spread pecans on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Set aside until ready to serve. Spiced pecans can also be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days before serving.

To serve:

Unmold cakes from ramekins and place on dessert plates. Drizzle caramel sauce over and around each cake. Top with spiced nuts.