chocolate and wine.

it's always interesting what kinds of things that can get combined in food. cookies with savory herbs. sweet apples with pork. chocolate and wine. i have to confess...the last one wasn't really a big hit with me. when i purchased a bottle on sale from my local world market, i really didn't like the taste. it was a little weird and not as chocolatey as i thought it was going to be. ialthough, i'm thinking it was the brand, not necessarily so much the taste.

why? because chocolate and wine in cake form is excellent! and because i could really decide how much chocolate i put in the finished product, i can end up with a decadent chocolate cake with red wine notes. :)

for this cake, i ended up using a travel bottle of confectioner's chocolate red wine that i had bought to taste (which was awesome, by the way) since i wasn't about to open a new bottle of merlot. i also added some cinnamon and ancho chile powder to give it a spice boost...and just because i can, lol. i'd have to play around with this recipe a little more as i ended up with a thick crust around the edges (too high a heat, i think)...but all in all, it was a super tasty treat!

Red Wine Chocolate Cake
(barely adapted from 17 and Baking)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 cup red wine (i used confectioner's chocolate red wine)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder (i used regular cocoa)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan.

Beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugars and cream until lightened and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg until well combined, then mix in the wine, yogurt, and vanilla. The batter might look curdled, but don’t worry. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a spoon until there are no streaks of flour left, scraping down the sides of the bowl and being careful not to over mix.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and bake 60-70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn it out.