Darkest Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze

I was thumbing through my February 2014 issue of Bon Appetit and came upon an article titled “The Dark Side.”  It immediately caught my attention, not just because of the quirky title, but due to the fact that the recipes were all about chocolate.  Chocolate is one of  the most popular foods in the world and I am one of its many admirers! The Mast brothers,  owners of the Mast Brothers Chocolate in Brooklyn, shared some of their fabulous recipes in this issue.  Darkest Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze?  I found the red wine glaze especially intriguing.

This is a beautiful cake to serve at a small party.  It’s delicious and can be made 2 days in advance.  If you have any leftovers, slice, wrap, and freeze the cake for one of those nights when you crave something from “the dark side.”

You’ll need a pound of chocolate for this recipe.  Half of it goes into the cake batter, and the other half for the red wine glaze.

This particular cake fluffs up while baking and then deflates as it cools.  Don’t worry, it will be just fine.

The red wine chocolate glaze is poured over the cake.  The glaze might seem thin at first, but it sets up beautifully (see photo below).

This cake reminds me of a chocolate decadence cake I used to make many years ago.  It’s rich but not too sweet, thanks to the bittersweet chocolate (and red wine).  It’s now my favorite chocolate cake.

Darkest Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze

Adapted from the Mast Brothers Bon Appetit Recipe

Serves 10

Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan (I used lactose free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 60% cacao that I had in my cupboard but the original recipe uses 70% cacao)

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon if using Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

Glaze and Assembly

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 60% cacao but you may use 70% cacao)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter cut into small pieces (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup red wine (such as Pinot Noir)

Special Equipment: A 9″ springform pan

Cake: 

Lightly  butter and flour pan.

Heat chocolate, sugar, and 1 cup butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring, until chocolate is almost completely melted, about 3 – 5 minutes; remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Let cool completely.  (I transfer the chocolate mixture to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes).

While the chocolate mixture is cooling, preheat the oven to 325°.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, add eggs to chocolate mixture one at a time, beating to blend after each addition.  Beat until mixture has a mousse-like consistency.  Reduce speed to low and add salt and 1/3 cup flour; mix until smooth.  Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until top is firm and edges are slightly darkened, about 50 minutes (time varies depending upon individual oven temperatures).  The original recipe mentions that a tester inserted into the cake’s center will come out clean before it is truly done (55 – 65 minutes).  I followed the recipe exactly the first time I made the cake and it turned out a bit dry when I left it in the oven for more than 50 minutes so I now remove the cake from the oven when a tester inserted into cake’s center comes out clean.  Set your timer for 45 minutes to see if your cake is done.  If it needs more time, set the timer for a few more minutes and test again. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan before turning out.

Glaze:

Heat chocolate, butter, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring, until chocolate and butter are melted, about 5 minutes.  Whisk in powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, bring wine just to a boil in a small saucepan.

Remove chocolate mixture from heat and whisk in wine; let cool until slightly thickened and a rubber spatula leaves a trail in mixture when stirring, 8 – 10 minutes.

Set cake over a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.  Pour glaze over cake and spread it across the top and over the edges with an offset spatula.  Let cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 2 hours.