Red Wine Chocolate Cake (Recipe Inspired by THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN)

When we first meet the titular character of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, she is traveling through dreary Ingolstadt, Germany to find her friend Victor. Even though the adventure is shrouded in creepiness, author Kiersten White’s vivid description of the medieval city made me nostalgic for Germany – particularly, for its desserts, which I believe are some of the best in the world.

Since the novel is mostly set in Germany and Austria, I wanted a recipe for this book that was straight from Bavaria.

As I mentioned in my review, The Dark Descent is a retelling of Frankenstein. The story content can get particularly gruesome as we learn how Dr. Frankenstein obtains “participants” for his projects, so I also wanted to find a recipe that’s somehow slightly…macabre. We’ve just entered October, which means recipes for creepy Halloween treats abound, but I wanted something a bit more elegant than Witch Finger Cookies or Zombie Meatloaf.

I was flipping through a German baking book that my father gave me years ago (one of the best presents ever, Dad. Thanks!), and my eyes lit up when I came across a recipe for Red Wine Chocolate Cake. This dessert uses one of my favorite flavor combinations – chocolate and cinnamon – and it seems like just the sort of treat that Elizabeth and Justine would have indulged in at a city café.

And, the clincher: the blood-red wine poured into the batter is the perfect nod to the grisly descriptions in The Dark Descent. *claps hands delightedly*

I’ve tweaked the original cake recipe a bit, and I’ve also added a red wine chocolate glaze because, why not? It seemed like an extra bit of decadence worthy of the manner in which the Frankensteins lived.

The cake has a delicate, nutty flavor without being too sweet. There is red wine in the batter, but the alcohol cooks off so you’re left with only the rich, fruity notes of grapes, berries, and plums that enhance the chocolate, cinnamon, and almond in the cake.  I used a cabernet sauvignon because that’s all I had on hand, but I’m sure any red wine would work with this recipe.

The cake is tender and crumbly, with melty nubs of chocolate and crunchy slivers of almond dotting each slice. You can eat it plain, but I prefer it dripping in the robust chocolate glaze and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips for even more texture.

The batter came together relatively easily, though I did have a bit of an issue with adding the red wine to the mixer. Pour it very carefully, and don’t wear anything white while you’re baking. Although the wine doesn’t turn the cake batter particularly red, it will absolutely and permanently stain pretty much anything else that color.

By the way, does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with their stand mixer? On one hand, it makes mixing chunky cookie dough WAY easier. However, I often find myself wearing a lot of the batter whenever I use it to make cakes. And, in general, I find that liquids slosh over the edge if you mix on any setting except“painfully slow.” The stand mixer has definitely made my life easier, but it’s also made it incredibly messier.

This recipe makes two small loaves, a slice of which is the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon coffee or tea. Or, serve this decadent little cake to guests after a good meal; they’ll think you went to a fancy European bakery just to impress them.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients

  

Cake Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar + a few drops of vanilla extract (mixed together)
• 1 pinch table salt
• 4 eggs (at room temperature)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine

Glaze Ingredients

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine
• mini semisweet chocolate chips (for sprinkling)

Instructions

 

PREP INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray two 8x4 loaf pans with nonstick baking spray.
• Finely chop almonds and set aside.
• In a small prep bowl, mix a few drops of vanilla extract into the 1 tablespoon of sugar, then set aside.
• Finely chop the 5 ounces of chocolate and set aside.
• Open your bottle of red wine and pour ½ cup into a measuring cup—one with a spout works best.
• Fit your stand mixer with a large bowl and a paddle attachment.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS

• Add softened butter to a stand mixer and beat until butter is smooth and creamy.
• With mixer on low, gradually add the granulated sugar, the vanilla + sugar mixture, and the pinch of salt into the butter, then beat on medium-high until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
• Add eggs, one at a time, to the batter, mixing thoroughly between each addition.
• Add the 2 tsp of vanilla extract and the 1 tsp of almond extract, then beat to incorporate.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and baking powder with a whisk.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture into the batter, alternating with the 1/2 cup of red wine, the chopped chocolate, and the chopped almonds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Once all ingredients are incorporated, mix batter on high speed for about 1 minute. The batter will look nubby, which is what you want.
• Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
• Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack. After 15 minutes, loosen the edges of the cakes with a dull knife, then turn the cakes out onto the wire rack to finish cooling. Cakes must be completely cooled before adding glaze.

GLAZE INSTRUCTIONS

• Add chopped bittersweet chocolate, chopped semisweet chocolate, and cubed butter to a microwavable medium bowl. Microwave on 30 seconds, stir, microwave for another 30 seconds, and the stir again until mixture is completely smooth.
• Whisk in powdered sugar while chocolate mixture is still warm.
• Pour 1/4 cup wine into a small microwavable bowl. Microwave for 25-30 seconds, until wine is warm and slightly simmering.
• Add the warm wine into the choocolate mixture, whisking vigorously until completetly incorporated.
• Let glaze cool for about 10 minutes. Stir the glaze then pour over both cakes. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Notes

Store glazed cake in an airtight container in the fridge, but bring to room temperature (or warm slightly in the microwave) before serving.

This cake recipe is an adapted version of "Red Wine Cake" from German Baking Today by Dr. Oetker.

This glaze recipe is slightly adapted from epicurious.com.