Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Makes one 8-inch round cake, enough to serve 12 people. The cake recipe is adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, and it’s been adjusted for baking at high altitudes. The frosting recipe is adapted from Sally’s Baking Recipes.

Ingredients

Cake

210 grams cake flour

65 grams Dutch-process cocoa

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

270 milliliters red wine (I use a red blend)

113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

210 grams dark brown sugar

70 grams granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs, at room temperature

Frosting

340 grams cream cheese, at room temperature

180 grams powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

360 grams heavy cream, chilled

Soak

3 tablespoons red wine

1 ½ tablespoons water

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

Instructions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Don’t grease the pans. (The cakes will rise more evenly if they’re allowed to stick to the pans a little.)

2.      Combine the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder in a fine-mesh strainer and sift them into a bowl. Set these dry ingredients aside for now.

3.      Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, cream the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla together at medium speed until they’re light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, mixing well on medium speed between additions. Remember to scrape down the bowl with a spatula each time you stop the mixer.

4.      Now it’s time to add the dry ingredients and the wine. First, add about a third of the combined dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Next, add a third of the wine, mixing on low speed again just until combined. Repeat these additions two more times, alternating between the dry ingredients and the wine.

5.      Divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cakes should spring back lightly when touched with a fingertip.

6.      Leave the cakes in their pans on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes. Then, using a butter knife, release the cakes from their pans and leave them on the cooling rack for at least 1 hour more.

7.      While you wait, prepare the frosting: Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat again until smooth and fully combined. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the heavy cream while mixing. Once the cream is incorporated, increase the mixer to high speed and beat until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

8.      When you’re ready to assemble the cake, combine the soak ingredients in a small pan and heat gently just until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

9.      Trim the domed top off of each cake with a serrated knife, and then slice each cake horizontally into two thin layers. Apply the soak evenly to the four cake layers using a pastry brush. Assemble the cake, adding a thin layer of the frosting between each layer of cake. Use the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake.