My year-long quest continues as I try to find the ultimate chocolate cake
I wish a chorus of angels could sing in the background as I describe this cake to you. Why? Because this Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Blackberries is total heaven! I know…red wine… that sounds terrible. But trust me, you don’t taste it as wine. Instead, the wine enriches the chocolate with berry fullness, taking it to new depths of delight.
So to recap, my quest for the ultimate, no-fail chocolate cake, began in February with Part 1 – Deluxe Chocolate Cake Mix. A pretty great start with a score of 44 out of 50. In April, I returned with Part 2 – Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake which was even better, coming in at 46 out of 50. This popular cake was moist and delicious, how could it be beaten?
OMG, that leads us to this Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Blackberries…queue the angels… could I have stumbled on perfection…
To recap the CAKE QUEST scoring: I’m using a rating scale from 1-10 with the following criteria:
1. Simple. Uncomplicated method, and no ingredients that can’t be purchased at any grocery store.
2. Texture. Moist yet fluffy. Not too dense, this is not a mousse cake or flour-less cake.
3. Flavour. Rich and natural dark chocolate.
4. Fool-proof. It always turns out perfectly. If time is tight, you’re sure it will turn out every time.
5. Height. I love a lofty cake.
I totally love the combination of chocolate cake and fruit; blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, but I’ve never tried blackberries. What was I waiting for? So yummy! Adding the blackberry preserves between the layers adds so much to the depth of this cake. Topping the cake off with a ton of fresh blackberries, really complements all the textures, while bringing down the sweetness a bit. The perfect balance.
Results… 48 out of 50
1. Simple. 10 this was really simple only 9 ingredients!
2. Texture. 10 it was moist and really fluffy. Texture is really even, no air pockets.
3. Flavour. 10 so perfect. Dark, rich chocolate flavour.
4. Fool-proof. 9 simple method, easy to follow, totally fool-proof.
5. Height. 9 these three layers were really high.
I could have given this cake a perfect score, but I’m only half way through the year. I have to leave a bit of space just in case. Stay tuned for Guinness Cake to come…
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp vinegar)
- 1 cup red wine
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup blackberry preserves
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tbsp cocoa
- 3-5 Tbsp 10% cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and line three 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. Butter parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt, whisking until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, wine, oil, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Divide evenly among prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- Prepare frosting by combining all ingredients in a large bowl and beating until light and fluffy.
Lori loves to create simple and delicious meals that are ready in 30 minutes or less!
This cake looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try this, but I don’t have 8 inch cake pans. Could I bake this in two 9 inch pans? Would the bake time be different?
Well that’s a difficult issue. A 8″ x 2″ pan is the same size as a 9″ x 1.5″ pan – 6 cups of volume. So, you can swap these two pans just fine. A 8″ x 1.5″ pan is only 4 cups of volume so don’t use that pan.
Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try this!!
Do you know how many servings this is? Does it need to be refrigerated after complete? What’s 10% cream? I’ve never seen that until this evening when I starting researching cakes for my sister’s birthday.
Hi Hailey. This cake would serve 8-12 depending on the size of the slices. No it does not need to be refrigerated. If you don’t have 10% cream, no issue, just use 2% milk or even almond milk. This is the best cake I have ever tasted…. and I’ve tried a lot of cake! Enjoy!!
I made this last night using blueberries and blueberry preserves and it was a HUGE hit! It was moist, not too sweet, and an amazing texture! Thanks!
Hi Erin, I agree. It’s my favourite cake of all time!!!