Chocolate Pecan Jack Daniel's Cake with Jack Daniel's Chocolate Sauce

2 cups pecan pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
¼ cup Jack Daniel's whiskey
8 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
tiny pinch of salt

Jack Daniel's Chocolate Sauce
8 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces
½ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Jack Daniel's whiskey
¾ cup corn syrup
¾ cup heavy whipping cream

Optional Garnishes
Confectioners' sugar
Mint Julep Ice Cream
Whipped cream, flavored with vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for about 12 minutes, until very fragrant. Let cool, then grind the nuts finely.

Combine the butter, chocolate, and whiskey in a large, heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir occasionally until melted and uniform. Remove from the heat.

Put the egg yolks and ¾ cup of the sugar in a electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Beat on high speed until very thick and pale. Stir the ground pecans into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the whipped yolks.

In a clean bowl, with a clean whip attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and the alt, and whip on high speed until soft peaks form. In three batches, quickly but gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, maintaining as much volume as possible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center. Cool completely on a rack, the remove the sided of the pan.

To make the sauce, combine the chocolate, butter, whiskey, and corn syrup in a heatproof bowl and set over barely simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream