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Chocolate and Red Wine Cake with Cardamaro

Cure any bad day with this perfect combination of bittersweet chocolate and red wine. This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine. 
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Ingredients
  

For Cake:

  • 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate at least 70% cacao, chopped
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Amaro such as Cardamaro or Benedictine
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries or blackberries, thawed and mashed

Glaze

  • 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate at least 70% cacao, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup red wine such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly butter and flour pan. Heat chocolate, sugar, and 1 cup butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring, until chocolate is almost completely melted, about 3 minutes; remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Let cool completely.
  • Using an electric mixer on medium speed, add eggs to chocolate mixture 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat until mixture has a mousse-like consistency. Reduce speed to low and add salt and ⅓ cup flour; mix until smooth. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
  • Bake cake until top is firm and edges are slightly darkened, 55–65 minutes (rely on visual cues; a tester inserted into cake’s center will come out clean before cake is truly done). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan before turning out.

Glaze:

  • Heat chocolate, butter, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring, until chocolate and butter are melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.
  • Meanwhile, bring wine just to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and whisk in wine; let cool until slightly thickened and a rubber spatula leaves a trail in mixture when stirring, 8–10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

  • While chocolate is cooling, whip cream in a cold bowl until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar, the amaro, and the berries and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.   

Assembly:

  • Cut the cake in half using a piece of thread-sawing back and forth carefully through to get layers as even as possible.  Spread the amaro cream over the bottom layer, flip the second layer so that the even bottom of that layer is now the top layer of the cake.  Place it carefully over the cream. 
  • Put cake on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over cake and spread it across the top and over the edges with an offset spatula. Let cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set, 2–3 hours.