Soo, I have been hit with the baking bug.

I mean, it happens every year once the snow really starts to fall, so I am not surprised.

And speaking of snow? Wow, I worried on Sunday that we may not have any snow come Thanksgiving (it was such a beautiful weekend) but that is definitely no longer a concern. Monday, we got a descent amount of snow, Tuesday was sunny, but on Wednesday a major storm hit and the snow just started coming down hard. It honestly did not stop all day and wow, my hike was the hardest. I instagramed a photo of all the snow, BUT that was early in the morning. So much more came down throughout the day and then we got another foot on Thursday… and it’s STILL snowing – hard!, I think it’s safe to say that we will have plenty of the white stuff on the ground come Thanksgiving.

Of course this also means my oven has been on non-stop. I started cooking around 10am on Wednesday and didn’t turn it off till about 9:30pm. It sure is getting a workout these days. Oh and umm…I am crazy excited about what all this snow is inspiring me to make. Just sayin.

The only bummer about all this snow is that it makes things a little harder down at the barn. We still have guys working down there installing windows, finishing up the stairs and such, but it’s taking longer than expected. Should have seen that coming though, right?

If you ask me, I’ll be lucky if I am in there by spring, but that’s my glass half empty attitude shinning through. My glass half full general contractor of a mom says I’ll be in there for sure by the end of the second week of December… she is just not sure how “finished” it will really be. UGH. I guess this is what a Gerard construction project looks like… typical chaos!.

It’ll all be ok though. I am just exited things are looking closer to being done and still so grateful and slightly in shock that this is all happening. Kind of crazy when I really think about it.

Sometimes I can get so involved in work stuff, mixed with stressful barn stuff, that I forget to take a second and just be grateful. Feeling and being grateful is a great thing. It’ll make you a better person and hey, isn’t being grateful kind of what this month is all about anyway? It’s the perfect time to reflect on all the good stuff going on in our lives…

Soo…what am I extra grateful for today??

Well, a lot of things, but I can’t seem to get past this cake. It’s kind of taking up all the space in my head and I need to tell you all about it.

I was thinking about my favorite chocolate pecan pie, I sort of do this a lot, I just keep coming back to those comforting flavors. This in turn made me write down about twenty different pecan recipes that I will hopefully be showing you over time because I am oddly, crazy exited about them all. BUT then I thought about custard cakes, and how some custard cakes can be super gooey with all kinds of amazingness. So I did a little general research on custard cakes and the thought came to me that obviously I need to make a pecan pie inspired custard cake. I mean what the heck could be better than that?

I think this may even beat out the real deal pie. It’s that good.

And it’s most definitely better than any old custard cake. For one, there is booze, two, there is chocolate and three, it oozes like mad. Need I say more?

Here’s the deal with this Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Custard Cake. IT IS SO EASY. No joke, so easy. Like ten minutes to prep and eighteen minutes to bake, the ingredients are simple and you probably have most of them on hand right now – AND you get to eat this warm. Heck to the yes!

The only slight problem to this cake is… it uses ten eggs. That’s not really a problem for me, but I buy five dozen eggs at a time, plus I’ve got all those fresh chicken eggs too. So I have a lot of eggs. The good news for you is, eggs are cheap and this cake is worth it.

The one very important thing about this cake is the baking time. It’s super short and when you remove it from the oven, you’ll be worried it’s not done, but it most likely it’s perfect. This cake needs to have some jiggle in it, if you are taking it out of the oven and there is no giggle, it’s overcooked. It will still be delicious, but not the gooey deliciousness it could be if baked to the proper doneness.

It’s tricky to tell you when the exact time is that you should take this out, every environment and oven is different, but somewhere between eighteen and nineteen minutes should be good. I took mine out at eighteen minutes for a super gooey cake. Total perfection if you ask me.

Ok so, I have tested this cake FOUR TIMES. Three the first day and one just yesterday (really I just wanted to make it again). I made three the first day because I really wanted to find the perfect doneness. I learned that this cake is pretty easy and works every time, but if you’re looking for perfection, you need to take it out at the right time. Either way though, the cake is ALWAYS good. I overcooked my first cake. The second cake was so perfect, but I thought the photos I took turned out ugly, so I made a third cake, which I cooked just a little too much for my liking. Then I of course wished I had taken more photos of the second cake.

Sometimes, trying to get things just perfect is not a good thing and I should learn to just stop messing with things and accept the little imperfections. <–Real life lessons people.

It may not be the prettiest cake around, but it’s one of the best.

The only lesson I want you to learn from today’s post is that it’s baking season and you need to get in the kitchen and bake this cake! Bake it for Thanksgiving, bake it for Christmas or bake it today, because it’s Friday….

And all Fridays should end with something as chocolatey, gooey and boozy as this.

Print 3.75 from 96 votes Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. The Recipe Incredibly Gooey Collapsing Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Custard Cake. By halfbakedharvest Course: Dessert Cuisine: American Keyword: bourbon, chocolate cake, custard, pecan It's most definitely better than any old custard cake. For one, there is booze, two, there is chocolate and three, it oozes like mad. Need I say more?

Prep Time 12 minutes Cook Time 18 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Servings 8 Servings Calories 375 kcal Ingredients 6 egg yolks at room temperature*

4 whole eggs at room temperature*

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

6 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup I like honey a little better

2 tablespoons molasses

2-4 tablespoons bourbon optional

1 vanilla bean seeds scrapped*

9 tablespoons cake flour*

4-5 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate chopped

1 1/4 cups whole pecans Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch (for a tall, fat cake) or 9 to 10 -inch (for a shorter thinner cake) spring form pan thoroughly. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and then grease the paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand held mixer in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs and powdered sugar until just combined and frothy. Turn the mixer off completely while you warm the maple syrup. Add the maple syrup and molasses to a small sauce pan and bring up to a bubble, reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly pour in the bourbon. Turn your mixer to medium-high speed and while the mixer is running, slowly pour the hot maple bourbon mixture down the side of the bowl. Do not stop whisking the eggs during this time. Once all the maple bourbon mixture has been added, continue to whisk the mixture on high speed until the batter leaves ribbons behind the whisk, about 3-5 minutes. Once you see ribbons, turn the mixer off. Now grab the bowl and tap it against the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Using a sifter, sift the cake flour over the batter. Add the vanilla bean seeds and then whisk on low speed until the flour is completely incorporated. I like to use a spatula and scrap the bottom of the bowl to be sure there is no flour down there. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared spring form pan. Use a spoon to make sure all the pecans and chocolate chips are even distributed throughout the cake. Bake for 17-19 minutes. Go 17 minutes for a super gooey cake and 19 for a little stiffer cake. Every oven is different, but just be sure to remove the cake while the center is still giggly. If the cake does not giggle, it is already overcooked. You have to use your best judgment, but I found 18 minutes was perfect. Once the cake is done, let it cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. The cake will fall as it cools, this is what you want to happen! Slice and serve warm are at room temp. Recipe Notes *To quickly bring your eggs to room temperature, place them in a large bowl with their shells on. Cover them with warm water and let them sit 5 minutes. **Instead of using 1 vanilla bean, you may use two teaspoons vanilla extract. Just subtract 2 teaspoons bourbon. ***To quickly make cake flour, measure out 1 cup flour and then remove 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons corn starch to the flour. Sift the mixture three to five times. Save to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box

No joking around, this collapsing cake is the best!