1

Move the oven rack 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 in. Bundt pan and dust with fine, dry bread crumbs.

2

Place the chocolate on top of a double broiler on low heat. Cover until melted, then uncover and remove the top of the double broiler. Set it aside to cool a little.

3

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, dissolve the instant coffee grounds in a little boiling water. Add enough cold water to make the coffee reach the 1 ½ cup line. Add the bourbon.

5

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the vanilla and sugar, beating well. One at a time, add the eggs, beating until smooth after each addition. Add the chocolate, beating well.

6

On low speed, add a third of the dry ingredients and mix well. Add ½ the liquid ingredients and mix well. Beat in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining liquid ingredients and the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients. The resulting batter should be smooth and thin.

7

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and splash with a little bourbon, if desired. Let the cake completely cool.