Red Wine Chocolate Cake
User Reviews
4.6
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Description
This cake incorporates Cabernet Sauvignon into the batter, which adds subtle complexity to the chocolate flavor and moisture to the crumb. The dry ingredients include all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. The wet ingredients—melted butter, sugar, egg, wine, and vanilla—are whisked together before folding in the flour mixture. Baking at 350°F in a greased pan yields a tender cake with a fine crumb, baked until a toothpick comes out clean. Cooling in the pan prevents crumbling.
The ganache balances semisweet chocolate with butter for richness, corn syrup for shine, confectioners’ sugar for sweetness, and Cabernet for depth. Stirring the ganache until smooth and slightly thickened allows for spreading a glossy coat over the cooled cake. Flaky sea salt completes the coating, providing a flavor counterpoint and textural detail.
Serve this cake as a sophisticated dessert suitable for gatherings or special occasions. Because baking times vary, check doneness early to avoid overbaking.
Baking time may vary by oven, so test with a toothpick after 28 minutes to prevent overcooking. The recipe is adapted from Food & Wine.
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup butter 4 ounces, melted, plus more for greasing the pan or use floured cooking spray, unsalted
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature, large
- 1 cup cabernet sauvignon at room temperature (I used Charles Shaw from Trader Joe's, aka Two Buck Chuck)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ganache
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate baking bar finely chopped (I use Trader Joes 72% Chocolate Pound Plus Bar)
- 2 tablespoons butter diced, unsalted
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar sifted if yours is particularly lumpy
- 2 tablespoons cabernet sauvignon
- sea salt to taste - I like Maldon(https://amzn.to/2w0jVP) and prefer to go heavier handed, about 1 tablespoon, flaky
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or floured cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set aside.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together the granulated sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl until pale.
- Whisk in 1 cup Cabernet and the vanilla.
- Add flour mixture to the liquid mixture and whisk to combine; don't overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 28 to 30 minutes. (See Note 1 below). Let cake cool completely in pan.
Make the ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate, diced butter, and corn syrup in a large microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power in 20-second intervals until melted, stirring in between intervals.
- Stir in the confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons Cabernet. Let stand at room temperature until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Invert cake onto a plate, and invert again onto a platter.
- Evenly spread the ganache on top, letting it drip down sides if desired.
- Evenly sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let cake stand until ganache sets a bit more, about 20 to 30 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.
Notes
- Check the cake with a toothpick starting at 28 minutes since baking times vary; overbaking can dry the cake.
- Use room temperature egg and wine for better batter blending.
- Adapted from Food & Wine; cabernet sauvignon adds distinct flavor to both cake and ganache.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 302 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1slice | |
| Calories | 302kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 41g | 14% |
| Protein | 3.5g | 7% |
| Fat | 13g | 20% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Sodium | 211mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 26g | 52% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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