Taste: Dark Chocolate Cake with Amador Brewing Company’s Night Hike Porter
Jan 27, 2017 10:51AM ● By Style
Do you need a girlfriend to drink and eat wine with? Yes, I said “eat.” This chocolate cake has a pronounced wine flavor (but not too much), and the sweet red wine syrup on top is just, well, the icing on the cake. Plus, it’s an excellent way to use the dark cocoa powder in your pantry. While I love this dark chocolate cake with its subtle wine flavor, I love the red wine syrup the most. I’m already dreaming up new ways to use it. Would my morning bowl of oatmeal be acceptable? Please say yes.
Sweet & Simple: Desserts for Two by Christina Lane
(The Countryman Press, 2017, $27.95)
FOR THE CAKE
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp. dark cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup red wine
FOR THE RED WINE SYRUP
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit and line a six-inch cake pan with a small circle of parchment paper. Spray the exposed sides of the pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir gently until mixed, adding the wine about halfway through.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs clinging to it. If you under-bake the cake, it will sink as it cools. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the wine syrup: Combine the wine and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to two or three tablespoons, about 15 minutes.
Remove the cake from the pan and place on a serving plate. Slice and serve with the red wine syrup drizzled on top. Makes one, 6-inch cake.
PAIRS WITH
ABV: 7.3% IBU: 46
Pairing beer and dessert is still quite unusual for some, but Amador Brewing Company’s Night Hike Porter is one of my favorites and may change your mind. It’s a mix between an American and Baltic porter, giving it a slightly roasted flavor with hints of dark fruit. Topped with a minty hop character, notes of citrus and an extremely clean finish, it doesn’t overpower the richness of this delectable dessert.—Eden Tuscano, 36 Handles Restaurant & Pub
SIP ON THIS
This month, Style staffers tested out two offerings from West Sacramento’s Strad Meadery. Founded in 2011, they use honey to facilitate the fermentation process and create four different varieties of “mead”—thought to be the oldest alcoholic drink known to man. For more info, visit stradmead.com.
Strad Meadery Traditional Nectar Mead
ABV: 7.5%
OVERALL RATING: 3
Tasting Notes: Mild and sweet flavor, almost like sparkling apple juice; slightly bubbly and tart; would be a great dessert wine; light, easy to drink; smells like champagne with a hint of honey
Price: $14.99
Purchase: Whole Foods Market
Strad Meadery Pomegranate Nectar Mead
ABV: 7.5%
OVERALL RATING: 4
Tasting Notes: Light, crisp and refreshing; beautiful orangish-red color that’s reminiscent of rosé; easy to drink; a lovely halfway point between a cider and white wine; mildly sweet for a honey wine and not too acidic on the finish
Price: $14.99
Purchase: Whole Foods Market
Overall Rating is the average score (out of 5) compiled by Style staff tasters. Ratings should should be taken with a grain of salt, as we are by no means “experts”—just hard-working employees who enjoy imbibing.