Go Back Email Link
+ servings
You don’t have to choose between tricks or treats with this special dessert! Delicious and decadent, Mini Bourbon Dark Chocolate Cakes with Matcha Pistachio Moss are an eerie and whimsical addition to any Halloween Party. | FeastInThyme.com
Print

Mini Bourbon Dark Chocolate Cakes with Matcha Pistachio Moss

No need to choose between tricks or treats with this special dessert! Delicious and decadent, Mini Bourbon Dark Chocolate Cakes with Matcha Pistachio Moss are an eerie and whimsical addition to any Halloween Party. 
Makes about 12 cups of batter – enough for 2-3 trays of mini Bundt cakes, depending on their size, or one traditional Bundt cake.
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

Bourbon Dark Chocolate Cake:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup cocoa powder (plus some for dusting the cake molds)
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, chopped into cubes (plus some for greasing the pans)
  • ½ lb semi-sweet chocolate bars, chopped fine
  • 1 cup bourbon
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Matcha Pistachio Moss:

  • 4 oz dark chocolate melting wafers
  • ¼ cup pistachios, shelled and crushed in a mortar & pestle
  • 1 Tbsp Matcha powder

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease the miniature Bundt pans with butter and dust with cocoa powder. I find using my fingers helps to make sure the butter gets into all the nooks and crannies of the mold.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt – together in a large bowl.
  • In the top pan of double boiler, melt the butter with the chopped chocolate bars, stirring until smooth. If you do not have a double boiler, you can use a heat-safe bowl set into a sauce pan of simmering water (just be very careful, as the bowl can become hot). 
  • Transfer the melted chocolate and butter mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in the bourbon and sugar. Beat in the dry ingredients a half a cup at a time until just incorporated. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
  • Fill the miniature cake molds three-fourths of the way full. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted into the cakes and come out clean. Let cool in the molds for 10 minutes, then carefully invert the pans onto racks and remove the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely (at least an hour), or chill overnight, covered in plastic wrap.

To Apply the Moss:

  • In intervals of 10-15 seconds, microwave the chocolate wafers in a small, microwave-safe bowl, stirring until smooth. Set up a work station with the bowl of the melted chocolate, a bowl of the crushed pistachios, and a bowl of the Matcha powder. Paint the chocolate onto the cakes with a new, clean brush in small amounts, sprinkling with a layer of crushed pistachio and matcha powder while the chocolate is still wet. Larger chunks of pistachio can be pressed into the chocolate for better sticking powder. Alternatively, you can skip the paint brush and just dip the cakes into the melted chocolate, sprinkling on the “moss” as above.
  • Enjoy at room temperature, or heated with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a little added decadence!

Notes

 
Baking the Cakes: This batter can be used in any non-stick Bundt or mini cakelet pan. Make sure you grease the pans (and all their nooks and crannies) well and sprinkle with cocoa powder to ensure easy removal from the molds. From experience, I can attest that this moss technique looks equally interesting on cakes made with this autumn-inspired cakelet pan!
For more information on scaling Bundt cake recipes for various size molds, see this reference from The Kitchn
Finding Ingredients: Having trouble finding matcha powder? I really liked this brand.