Red Wine Chocolate Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
This cake and frosting are best made on the day before and then you just need to decorate it on the day.
- 190g/6.71ozs. butter, melted
- 550g/19.43ozs. dark chocolate
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 7 eggs, at room temperature
- 1.5 cups almond meal
- 3/4 cup cake flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup red wine
- 125g redcurrant jelly
For red wine chocolate ganache
- 400g/14.13ozs. dark Chocolate
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup cream
To decorate
- 2/3 cup cherry jam
- red currants
- Gold leaf
- A rosemary "wreath"
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F and line 2 x 20cm/8inch round tins on the base and sides. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave or over a double boiler and mix until smooth. Then whisk in the brown sugar and eggs, one at a time.
Step 2 - In a bowl whisk the almond meal, flour and baking powder and then in a jug or another bowl whisk the wine and redcurrant jelly together. Add the flour, a little at a time alternating with the red wine mixture until you get a smooth batter. If you get kumps, pass it through a sieve to get a smooth batter.
Step 3 - Divide into the two prepared tins and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely and wrap in cling film.
Step 4 - While it is baking make a syrup out of the red wine. Place in a small saucepan, lid off and the simmer until reduced by half (you want 1/2 a cup of red wine syrup at the end). Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave until smooth. Whisk the red wine syrup and cream together and add to the chocolate while it is melting. Allow to set to a scoopable consistency in the fridge (I left it in the fridge overnight).
_
The darker colour on the left is the ganache before it has been whipped while the lighter colour is once it has been whipped.
Step 5 - The next morning, whip the ganache in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. It will take 4-5 minutes and you'll have to scrape down the sides every minute or so. Spread a third of the cherry jam onto one cake and then some whipped ganache and then add the other cake on top and repeat with the jam and whipped ganache too.
Step 6 - Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with ganache and pipe little dabs next to each other. Top with fresh redcurrants and a rosemary wreath and then sprinkle with icing sugar.