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Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Wine might seem like an unusual ingredient for a chocolate cake, but it imparts richness and depth rather than makes your afternoon tea taste like merlot. It’s also a great way to use up any leftover wine.

Recipe by: The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

Cook Time 40 mins
Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CAKE
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • A generous ½ cup roughly chopped dark chocolate, melted (55% cocoa)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 250 ml (1 cup) red wine
  • 250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
  • 185 ml (¾ cup) vegetable oil
  • blackberries to garnish
  • FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
  • 170 g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extractl
  • ½ cup powdered drinking chocolate (sweet cocoa powder)
  • 3-5 tbsp red wine

Directions

  1. 01

    Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

  2. 02

    Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease and line two, round 20 cm (8-inch) baking pans.

  3. 03

    Sift the sugar, flour, cocoa, bicarb soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.

  4. 04

    Make a well in the centre and add melted chocolate, eggs, wine, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Divide evenly among baking pans.

  5. 05

    Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

  6. 06

    While the cake cools, prepare the icing by beating the butter in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, slowly adding in the icing sugar, and then combining the remaining ingredients. Add wine one spoonful at a time until desired buttercream consistency is reached.

  7. 07

    To assemble, spread half of the buttercream over one cake, then place the other on top, adding another layer of buttercream. Sprinkle the top with sea salt flakes and arrange berries on top before serving.