This isn't my first foray into the chocolate/booze experience. The first was this chocolate rum cake-- good, but I didn't rave about it. I tried these red wine brownies and had a mixed reaction. I even tried a red wine chocolate cake once before, but was unimpressed. So why try again? Because I'm convinced this is a delicious combination-- I just have to find the right mix. Is it the recipe that makes the difference? Maybe. Food & Wine, the source for today's recipe, has a well-deserved reputation. Review comments on this recipe, however, seem to put great stock in the wine used. Seems Bordeaux is the prime choice, while Cabernet Sauvignon did not work well. Not very helpful, since Bordeaux reds are a blend of grapes, one of which is Cabernet Sauvignon.
Not willing to invest a quality wine to what might end up a mediocre bake, I bought a bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon, otherwise known as 2-buck Chuck (now $3.99 Chuck). Despite its low cost, Charles Shaw wines regularly receive surprisingly good reviews, probably because it's actually drinkable, while other wines at that price point are better reserved for salad dressing. That said, the wine in the final result was completely undetectable, even in the ganache. I didn't point out it was a red wine cake when I served it, and no one asked about any subtle flavoring. It was, however, an amazing chocolate cake!
I was bringing this cake to a Halloween party, so I baked it in my Wilton skull pan, but kept it simple. (I've used this pan previously here and here.) No fancy decorations this time. The original recipe is for a 12-cup Bundt; I halved the recipe and baked it in just the face half of the skull pan. It would probably work fine in an 8" x 4" loaf pan, or a single 9" round cake pan. Here's what I used:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
5/8 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
7/8 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5/8 cup dry red wine
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour a 6-cup pan. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely. Drizzle or streak the ganache around the sides of the plate and just a little in the center (to help hold the cake in place.) Dust the cake with confectioner's sugar, then place on the plate. Serve with whipped mascarpone cream.
Ganache:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons red wine
pinch of salt
Heat the chocolate and butter in a double boiler until melted; stir together. Add the wine and salt and stir until smooth.
Topping
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup (118 grams) chilled heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whip together until soft peaks form -- don't over whip.
I over baked this cake, and it still turned out great, but I'm frustrated with Wilton-- they included a recipe with the cake pan for a pumpkin cake that requires a long bake time. I think it must be the moisture in that particular batter requiring that lengthy bake, because I keep over baking the cakes when I use another recipe. It was nice of Wilton to include the recipe, but guidance for a standard cake recipe would have been more helpful. I used a thermal cake strip around the pan, which is supposed to help the cake rise more evenly. I baked it for 65 minutes, and even though it was overdone, it sank in the middle. The edges were a bit crusty, but the whole thing was delicious. The pan probably needs only a normal bake time.
Conclusion: This was amazing! Semi-sweet, and so good! Rich and moist and chocolatey, made even more so with just a little bit of the ganache -- you don't need a lot.
Recipe: Chocolate Red Wine Cake via Kristin Donnelly at Food & Wine
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