Red Wine Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Cherry Compote

Red Wine, chocolate and cherries are Chris's favorite sweets. I made him a red wine chocolate cake 2 years ago for his birthday and we both LOVED it.  The red wine gives the cake such a distinct taste that we had to have again. I decided to make it last weekend for his birthday this year, but I wanted to put a different spin on it. Instead of a layer cake, I made a bundt cake topped with ample chocolate ganache.  To finish it off I served it with fresh whip cream and a cherry compote. The cherry brings out the wine in the cake. I thought it tasted perfect with all of the components together, but if you are a pure chocolate freak you may want to leave out the cherry and whip cream.  

 

Red Wine Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups Red Wine

Chocolate Ganache - recipe below

Sprinkles/Decorations

Cherry Compote - recipe below

Fresh Whip Cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the red wine in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.

5. Coat the Bundt with baking spray and fill the bundt pan with the batter.  

6. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.

7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes then invert it on a cool baking sheet and let it continue to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

10 oz bittersweet chocolate - chopped

6.5 oz heavy cream

Directions:

1. Pour the chocolate in a heat proof bowl.

2. Heat the cream in a small sauce-pan on medium heat until the cream just comes to a boil.

3. Pour the hot cream over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.

4. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth.

5. Pour immediatly over the cooled bundt cake.

6. Add sprinkles or any decorations you would like before the ganache sets.

Cherry Compote

Ingredients:

2/3 cups water

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 bags (20oz frozen cherries)

Directions:

1. Combine water, sugar and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat.  

2.  Heat until the sugar dissolves and then add the cherries and reduce the heat.

3.  Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring every other minute until the cherries are slightly broken down.

4.  Let the cherries cool and then cover and chill until ready to serve.