This chocolate cake has a slight red wine flavor and is unbelievable moist! It is perfect for adult chocaholics with a rich chocolate truffle filling!
Sweet red wine makes this cake so good and rich! The rich truffle filling takes the cake to another level!
How to get the frosting to piping consistency
Chocolate frosting in general is softer than other flavors due to added melted chocolate. To make it stiffer you can add powdered sugar or cocoa powder (only for chocolate frosting). Powdered sugar will sweeten it up a lot so I recommend to only add it to a small portion of buttercream that is used to pipe the swirls. The rest of the buttercream does not need to be stiff. It is actually easier to frost the cake with a softer buttercream.
Do you want to try a chocolate cream cheese frosting instead? Make this frosting and add some melted chocolate!
If you prefer Swiss meringue buttercream, I have just the right recipe for you! Make this recipe and add the same amount of cocoa and melted chocolate as in this recipe. It will taste just delicious.
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Ingredients for 3 8-inch layers
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (80 g) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) butter milk
1 cup (240 ml) sweet red wine
For the chocolate buttercream:
4 cups (520 g) powdered sugar
2 cups (450 g) butter, softened
1 cup (100 g) cocoa powder
1/2 cup (85 g) melted chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
For the chocolate truffle filling:
1/2 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, hot
10 oz (285 g) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp (30 g) butter
For the windmill triangles:
2 cups (340 g) semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips for decoration
Check out my Chocolate Speculoos cake tutorial while this one is in the making
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 °F. In a big mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, salt and oil. Mix with a hand mixer until foamy and lighter in color. Mix in buttermilk. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix on low until almost combined, then add red wine. Mix until smooth.
Step 2:
Divide between three greased and lined 8 inch baking pans. Bake at 350 °F for about 30 to 35 minutes. Insert a skewer to test if the cake is baked completely. Let the layers cool on a cooling grid. After 4 minutes take them out of the baking pan and let them cool on a parchment paper on a cooling grid. I like to use bake even strips to get flat tops. If you are using them the cooking time might increase for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3:
To make the truffle filling combine chopped chocolate, butter and hot heavy cream in a heat proof bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then stir it until it gets smooth. Reheat it in the microwave for 30 seconds if needed to melt completely. Set it aside to cool.
Step 4:
For the American buttercream mix softened butter until lighter in color and texture. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder little by little. It is easier using a stand mixer. When it is incorporated add melted chocolate and mix it in right away. For a nicer texture add milk. This also helps with reducing the butter flavor. Mix it for 3 minutes on a medium high speed and then use a spatula to gently remove air bubbles. I usually fold the frosting against the edge of the bowl to smooth it out.
Step 5:
To make the chocolate triangle decoration heat up chocolate with coconut oil until melted. Prepare a 6" by 4" pan with parchment paper or cling wrap. Pour in the melted chocolate and smooth it out. Let it set in the fridge until it is hard enough to keep its . shape but not too hard to cut. Cut off the edges and then cut it one time in the center of the long side to get two pieces. Cut each piece in the middle to get 4 pieces in total and then cut each small piece one time diagonal to get the triangle shape.
Step 6:
To decorate the cake, place the bottom layer on a plate and spread a thin layer of buttercream on top and smooth it. Pipe a border of frosting around the edges about 1/4 inch smaller than the cake. Top it with half of the truffle filling. Add the second cake layer and repeat the steps. Then apply the last layer and cover the cake with buttercream on the top and its side. Smooth it out and cover the whole cake with mini chocolate chips on the side. Let it cool in the fridge for about 40 minutes or place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Step 7:
When the cake is cooled pipe some chocolate butter cream swirls on the top and place chocolate triangles in between the swirls. I like to pipe a big swirl in the center. You can sprinkle some more chocolate chips on top or leave it plain.
Enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
I like to use a stiffer consistency buttercream for piping swirls. For that mix in some more powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a small amount of buttercream (1 to 2 cups) and whip it with a hand mixer until stiff. I usually use about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cocoa powder. Fill it in a piping bag with a star tip and use it right away.
If the frosting gets soft, just whip it with a hand mixer until it gets stiff again.
Chocaholic? Try chocolate chips as an addition to the cake batter – double chocolate is double the fun! Coat them in flour and add them to the cake batter in the baking pan shortly before baking.
