Best Cake I've ever made

I recently ate at a restaurant and fell in LOVE with one of their desserts.  A Tennessee Whiskey Cake.  It was a dense, moist cake topped with pralines, a butter whiskey caramel and ice cream.  Best cake I've ever had.

Since I had that cake, I was wracking my brain trying to think of a copycat.  I googled, but found nothing even close to what they serve.

I decided to just go with what I knew and while my cousin was visiting, we put together what I believe to be the best, moistest, dense, flavorful cake I've ever made.

First, pralines were made.  My mother makes them best, so I had her whip them up.  It's just pecans, sugar and a smidgen of liquid (we used water).  Stir on medium heat until they smell like roasted nuts and are encased in a gooey syrup.  Pour them out on wax paper to "dry" and crisp.

Now onto the cake.  I took a basic chocolate cake recipe (one that I've known and used for years, but again, it is a meshed recipe that I've made up over the years) and completely flipped it on it's head.  Here goes:

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup choco chips, or good chocolate
1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 10 x 15 glass pan.  In a small saucepan, melt 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup bourbon.  Once melted, remove from heat.

In a stand mixer or large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Slowly drizzle in slightly cooled chocolate mixture.  Mix for 1 minute on medium speed, until large bubbles form.  Your batter will be runny, thick, and sticky.

Pout into buttered dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.  The top of the cake will crack and will still slightly wiggle if shook.  Take out and cool completely.

We threw together a caramel sauce to top the cake with (in addition to the pralines).  Here's a basic bourbon or whiskey caramel sauce recipe:

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey
Two saucepans

In the first saucepan, combine sugar and water.  Stir with a wooden spoon (wooden spoons are the only spoon I can make proper caramel with) until clear liquid.  Then let boil until golden amber in color.

In the second saucepan, while the sugar mixture is boiling, combine the whipping cream, butter, and salt.  Just warm until butter has melted and the cream is steaming.

Once the sugar liquid is amber, remove from heat.  SLOWLY (really, slowly), pour the cream mixture down the side of the sugar saucepan.  It will bubble, toil, spittle, etc.  Once it's all in there, stir with your wooden spoon again.  Then add your 1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey (more if you want a really saucy sauce) and stir until combined. 

Poor this golden deliciousness on your cake deliciousness and top with praline deliciousness.

Be ready to die from deliciousness.

Best.  Cake.  I've.  Ever.  Made.