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Rich and fudgy chocolate cake with red wine in the batter and ganache

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Ganache

Rich and fudgy chocolate cake with red wine in the batter and ganache
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Makes: 8 large slices
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Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • 85 gms butter, at room temperaturee
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature (I have not tried an eggless version))
  • 1 and 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup red wine
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter

For the ganache

  • 1/3 cup cream, whipped cream preferred, but regular is ok too
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 50 gms dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 160 C and grease a 9" round cake tin, springform is best.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. You can do this with a hand mixer or using a stand mixer.
  • Pour in the red wine and the batter will split a bit, but don't worry about it.
  • Now sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Fold gently to combine, avoiding over-mixing the batter.
  • Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. <i>I've had a few cracks in the surface of this cake, but as it cools, the cracks close up a bit. I'm not sure why this happens but it doesn't affect the flavour or texture so I'm probably guilty of beating too much air into the batter!</i>
  • Let the cake cool completely at room temperature.
  • To make the ganache, combine the cream and wine in a small saucepan. Set it on low heat and let it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, because the alcohol needs to evaporate so that you aren't left with any strange raw flavour. Stir often to avoid the cream burning.
  • Once the mixture looks a bit thicker and is simmering away, turn off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, until melted through.
  • At this stage, you can pour the ganache over the cake as a sort of warm sauce, or let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes like I did so it thickens to more of a frosting consistency.
  • Without the ganache, the cake be stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and then in the fridge for about a week. With the ganache, store it in the fridge from day one onwards especially in humid environments. Best eaten at room temperature though. Happy baking!

Notes

*The cake is great even without the ganache. You may just want to eat it with some whipped cream!
*There are no rules for what kind of wine you can use here, go with the one you like to drink the most. I would only say avoid a dessert wine as they tend to be much sweeter than you need here. I used a Cabernet Shiraz.
*Dutch-process cocoa is recommended for a richer, more chocolatey flavour. I've used regular, natural cocoa as well, but it wasn't quite as good. Indah is a good brand of Dutch-process cocoa made in India but it doesn't seem to be available any more, although Amazon has more options.
*Adapted from Smitten Kitchen