1 3/4 ounces Ghirardelli chocolate 60% cacao for decorating, optional
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch
round cake pan.
Cream together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and
fluffy, then add eggs a little at a time, beating well between
each addition. Add the wine and mix well.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and 1 teaspoon Ghirardelli
cocoa powder together. Sift again. Fold the dry ingredients
a spoonful at a time into the butter mixture. Grate 2 1/4
ounce of the Ghirardelli chocolate, then fold into the
butter mixture.
Place in a cake pan and level the top. Bake in the center
of the oven for 35 minutes, until the cake is well risen and
a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes and
then invert onto plate and let cool completely.
Prepare wine syrup by boiling 1/4 cup water and 7
teaspoons sugar in a small pan, and then stir in the1/2 cup
of red wine. Fill the cleaned caked pan with the syrup and
place the cooled cake back into the cake pan. Warm syrup
will quickly absorb into the cake. Once the syrup has been
absorbed, reverse the cake on to the cake plate. Carefully
remove pan. Cool cake.
Prepare glaze by bringing jelly to a rolling boil in a small
pan. Remove from heat and then brush hot jelly over the
cake. Let the jelly set, then repeat.
For decorating, use the remaining dark chocolate for
decorating cake. Optional: use sugared fresh grapes for
decorating cake; do this by brushing fruit with beaten egg
white and dusting with superfine sugar.
Recipe Notes
Vicki Pruner of Clarksburg, 1st Place, 2011 California State Fair
