In yesterday’s blog, we offered a number of pairing possibilities for chocolate and wine, suggested by members of the Vinesse tasting panel based on years (and years) of experimentation.
(Hey, somebody has to do it.)
Long story short: There ARE pairings that work quite nicely, including the one we’re about to suggest. For this Red Wine Cake recipe, we suggest using a red blend — one that is not too “oaky” — both for making the cake and drinking with the cake.
RED WINE CAKE
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup red wine (a blend that is not overly oaked)
- ½ cup light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Red raspberry preserves
Ganache Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 12-oz. Lindt 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate bar
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
Preparation
- Sift all dry ingredients together. Add liquid ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into two prepared 8-inch round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 27 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Once cake is cooled, spread raspberry preserves on top of one 8-inch round, then place the other round on top.
- In a pan over medium heat, add the cream and chocolate, and stir constantly until melted and combined. Add corn syrup and mix until combined. Remove from heat. Allow to cool about 10 minutes so ganache can thicken. Then spread ganache around entire cake.
• If you’d like some ideas on what wine to use in making (and drinking with) this cake, Vinesse is offering three terrific red blends on sale together this week and you can get special pricing by making sure you’re part of the email savings program.
