Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup red wine, any kind you like
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream or 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 make the cake: preheat the oven to 325°f line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and either butter and lightly flour the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior with a nonstick spray.
• 2 in a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the egg and yolk and beat well, then the red wine and vanilla. don’t worry if the batter looks a little uneven.
• 3 sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, right over your wet ingredients. mix until 3/4 combined, then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. spread batter in prepared pan. bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. the top of the cake should be shiny and smooth, like a puddle of chocolate. cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. this cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge. it looks pretty dusted with powdered sugar.
• 4 make the topping: whip mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form — don’t overwhip. dollop generously on each slice of cake. it can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours.