Dark Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze
I think most women share a universal bond when it comes to our role in society and the struggles we face. The demand to multi-task throughout the day, support, lead, inspire, encourage, compensate, and maintain our own can be overwhelming and unmatched. That’s where this dark chocolate cake with red wine glaze comes into play.
Dark Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze
This dark chocolate cake is for those nights when you’ve been unrivaled in your woman/wife/mom/daughter/sister efforts and are in need of an Olivia Pope size glass of wine and pampering in the form of chocolate.
We all have those days, therefore, we deserve such indulgences.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of chocolate, as evidenced here, here, and here. And I like my chocolate rich; none of that fake stuff filled with milk solids and emulsifiers. I’m talking glorious, genuine, dark chocolate.
The beauty of using dark chocolate in baking is that you’ll always get that authentic chocolate-y taste in your baked goods. You can always sweeten a recipe made with dark chocolate by adding sugar, but when you use a diluted milk chocolate, for example, you never obtain the same richness and quality in chocolate that you would have otherwise.
There is no substitute for pure, unadulterated dark chocolate, and this dark chocolate cake with red wine glaze is evidence of that.
Sinfully rich, this dark chocolate cake contains a minimal amount of flour and relies on quality dark chocolate for exemplary taste. There are no fruits, nuts, or other ingredients to fill the cake, because there should be nothing getting in the way of each silky, smooth bite.
The glaze is made with a combination of bittersweet chocolate and red wine to make this dark chocolate cake a standout; it’s luxury at its finest.
The wine has a subtle, yet noticeable effect, highlighting the sweet and acidic notes of the chocolate. Together, the two are an intoxicating blend that renders this cake the divine remedy for any woman in need.
Dark Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze
A rich dark chocolate cake made with a red wine-chocolate glaze poured on top.
Ingredients
for the cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
- 2.5 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 4 oz dark chocolate, 70%-72% is preferable
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
for the glaze
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips work well
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup red wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Brush the bottom half of a bundt pan (or the entirety of a 6-inch cake pan) with softened butter. Dust the pan with flour; set aside.
- Begin the cake batter by melting the dark chocolate in the microwave (30 to 45 seconds) or in a heatproof bowl set over a simmering pot of water. Remove the chocolate from the heat and stir in the butter and sugar until the mixture is smooth and the butter has completely melted. Set aside to cool.
- Once the chocolate has cooled, add the eggs (one at a time) and beat on medium speed with an electric mixture. Once the eggs are completely incorporated and the batter has slightly lightened up a bit, reduce the mixer’s speed to low and add the salt and flour. Beat until smooth.
- Scrape the batter into your prepared pan. Bake the cake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake’s top looks firm and when gently pressed with your finger, the cake immediately springs back. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan before turning out.
- To create the glaze, melt the bittersweet chocolate in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and salt until smooth. Whisk in the powdered sugar.
- Heat the red wine in a small saucepan over medium heat until it’s just come to a boil. Whisk the red wine into the chocolate mixture, then let the mixture cool until it’s slightly thickened - about 15 minutes.
- Set your cake on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, then spoon the glaze over the cake, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the glaze all over the cake. For best flavor, let the glaze dry and set for a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
To create a full size bundt cake, double all of the recipe ingredients.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 450
It looks like I will need to be making a lot of these cakes in the weeks to come as I am definitely feeling the pains from trying to "doing it all".
And this cake! I’m loving that it celebrates chocolate in it’s purest form. . .with minimal flour. But let’s not short change that divine glaze. . .it includes red wine after all!
Isn’t it amazing the amount of stuff we women do on an everyday basis?? Craziness! I will cut you up a big slice with a nice glass of wine to go with it…come on over Lynn!! Thanks deary! XO
Girl, you said it perfectly! Women do endure much more, and higher expectations are placed upon us! I’m often in need of an Olivia Pope sized glass of wine! lol. 😉 I am really wanting to slam my head against a wall for being allergic to cocoa because this dark chocolate cake looks insanely rich and delicious! I can imagine this would be the perfect way to ward off any woes!! The red wine glaze on top just sounds perfect! Such a gorgeous cake, Beeta! The deep dark color is perfect for Halloween, too! Pinned! Cheers, love! XO
lol I wish I could afford Olivia Pope’s actual wines too..I’m pretty sure she drinks like wine from 1982 from some shine (read: chateau) in Burgundy lol. It’s such a bummer you can’t eat chocolate 🙁 But in a way you are so lucky, you never have to be tempted by it!! haha! Thanks so much sweets! XOXO
As a fellow chocoholic – this cake sounds incredible! It’s so important to use a good quality chocolate too – there’s always such a difference in flavour and taste between different bars! I love the sound of this cake Beeta, and the red wine glaze looks perfect! Delicious <3
Thanks so much, Harriet! This is every chocoholic’s dream – I can attest! :p
YES YES YES Beeta!! Amazing post – both your writing (completely agree) and this cake are amazing. And quality ingredients does make such a difference – I have made the same brownie recipe using regular cocoa and dutch process dark cocoa and the difference is incredible – just so much darker and more chocolatey with the latter. And with cake recipes, the amount of flour does seem a bit proportional to how dark and rich the chocolate flavour is – for me, it is just the darker the better so I think I need to have a go at this one! Love the sound of a red wine glaze too for something a bit different. So perfect for when you need a chocolate pick-me-up (which, let’s be honest, for me is pretty much every evening!!). <3 <3
Thanks so much, Claudia! It’s amazing how seemingly small tweaks like different types of cocoa powders can make such a huge difference. If you love rich and dark, you will love this! The red wine glaze is such a little fun, subtle "adult" twist! 😉 XO
Everything you said about chocolate in this post, you said so well. I usually reach for dark chocolate in baking but never really stopped to think about all these things you said about chocolate and the importance of using the good quality stuff!! This cake looks like a mixture between a brownie and a flourless chocolate cake, and to think there’s a red wine glaze to top it all off… I’m ded.
I used to never think about the difference, thinking chocolate was chocolate, but when I actually started paying attention to the difference in taste between the exact same recipes just made with different kinds of chocolate, I was suddenly like ohhhh! hehe! And you’re spot on with the texture! The glaze is amazing – the wine has a subtle effect and does a fabulous job of highlighting the chocolatey notes. Thanks so much love for your kind words <3
Yummy! The shiny wine-infused glaze with dark chocolate is perfect. I also like rich dark chocolate – it’s so luxurious, perfect for winding down at the end of a long day. I am for sure in the mood for this chocolaty cake after a long night on call. Seems like the perfect weekend baking project 🙂 chocolate cake all week! Just a quick clarification – is the flour 2.5 tablespoons or 2.5 cups?
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much! It’s the best for winding down at the end of a long day <3 And yes, it’s indeed 2.5 tablespoons. I know, it sounds so minimal, but that’s because the low flour content means the cake is more chocolatey and rich! 😀
Beeta, such a gorgeous cake! And i loved your insights on how women have to "do it all" and still are expected to be sane. Totally agree with you! Well, nothing a slice of dark chocolate cake and red wine glaze won’t fix! 🙂 btw, I made your french yogurt cake (with some modifications) a few months back and it was soo good! I made a gluten-free version and my bf simply loved the moist texture!!
Hi Felicia!! Woohoo, I am so excited you gave the yogurt cake a try! I remember you asked about making it GF…did you end up using all almond flour or a special GF blend? I’d love to know what you did in case anyone else ever asks me for a GF version. Also, I’d love to try it out myself! 🙂 And red wine always seems to be a nice source of therapy for us women! 😉 So glad you enjoyed my post, thank you so much for sharing your sweet words and letting me know that you tried out one of my recipes – I love it! XO
Oh this CAKE Beeta, has me weak at the knees! That fluffy chocolate centre and that drippy glaze – Heaven!
Thanks so much, Jess! The cake is sooo moist and fluffy…it’s incredible!