Fruit plus chocolate is not my favorite combination, especially dark chocolate. Therefore, when I set out to make this cake, I thought I was being so clever because I wouldn’t want to eat it at all. Boy was I wrong.
Red wine isn’t just the ideal accompaniment to a hearty meal. It also adds the most delicious touch to any chocolate cake. The result is always moist and the flavors become more complex. Every time I make a red-wine cake, I wonder why I don’t do it more often.
As far as the addition of fruit, I’ve had my hands on some cherry concentrate for a while now and wanted to use it somewhere, somehow. Also, my Bundt pan hadn’t been touched in nearly a year, but this somber weather was inspiring me to use it once again for a rich, dark cake perfect to nosh on in the depths of winter. It also helps that this is a one-bowl recipe and you can have it in the oven in minutes.
Feel free to swap out the cherries for other fruits, or skip them altogether. Just don’t skimp on the red wine. Enjoy, and happy baking!
Cherry Chocolate Red Wine Bundt Cake
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in Food & Wine
1 9-inch Bundt cake
Nonstick cooking spray
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1¾ cups granulated sugar
Zest from 1 orange
2 sticks butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup almond flour*
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup red wine
¼ cup cherry concentrate (or replace with ¼ cup red wine)
1 cup dried cherries
2 oz. finely chopped semisweet chocolate
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare a 9-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and flour.
• Pour the sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
• Add in the softened butter and beat using an electric mixer or whisk until fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla, beating well after each addition.
• Gradually add in 1½ cups of all-purpose flour as well as the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
• Using a spatula, fold in the red wine, cherry concentrate, dried cherries and chocolate.
• Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and dry. Remove from the oven and let the pan cool.
• When the pan is cool enough to handle, un-mold the cake and let it cool further on the rack.
• Serve with sweetened whipped cream or powdered sugar sifted over the top.
* Available at Whole Foods Market, 1601 S. Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, 314.968.7744, wholefoodsmarket.com. Alternatively, you can pulse whole almonds in a food processor until they reach a powdered form.
This article appears in February 2013.
