This post was sponsored by Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Wines. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please enjoy wine responsibly.
Wine, chocolate and cake. My three Achilles heel, my guilty pleasures, my three best amigos. These three are my food soulmates. I know it sounds extreme but that’s how much I love wine, chocolate and cake. And interestingly all three came at different points in my life.
Cake.
As a child, I’d remember attending birthday parties and seeing my friends crowd around the gift table ogling all the colourfully wrapped gifts shaking, sniffing and guessing what was in each package. I however, would be in the kitchen ogling the cake. Wondering what flavour was inside. Praying the icing wasn’t that flavourless saccharin drenched grease from a can but a fluffy home made butter cream or cream cheese icing. I’d then cue myself up in the line of kids just so, to make sure I got the right piece. That is, the largest piece and the piece from the moist centre. And of course, I always had seconds and occasionally thirds.
Wine.
My parents are not wine drinkers. Up until the 70’s wine was rarely sold or served in South Korea. So wine was unfamiliar territory for my family growing up. I had no idea until my mid twenties when I worked as a server in a small French bistro that there were various types of red and white wines. It was through Chef Ken at that small bistro where I learned to appreciate different varieties of wine (particularly Red) and learned to recognize the four stages of wine tasting.
Chocolate.
Chocolate strangely came last. Everyone has heard of pregnancy cravings. In my case my cravings came postpartum. And it was chocolates. Any type…inexpensive chocolate bars, to fine truffles…so long as it was chocolate I couldn’t get enough. This craving is still running strong 12 years later!
Woodbridge Wines By Robert Mondavi 2017 Merlot
I suppose in many ways this cake for me is like a timeline. It’s a summary of my life in the form of a cake! So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was asked by Woodbridge Wines by Robert Mondavi, one of my favourite wineries to concoct a recipe using their 2017 Merlot.
I picked Woodbridge Wines by Robert Mondavi’s 2017 Merlot for the mulled wine recipe for its fruit driven smooth and balanced flavours. Upon opening the bottle, I could immediately smell the rich raspberry, mocha, molasses and vanilla oak aromas. Perfect for poaching pears to soak up all that beautiful ruby hue and flavourful tang! And a perfect cake to prepare for the upcoming American Thanksgiving and festivities during December leading up to Christmas.
The recipe yields extra mulled wine at the end. Which can be drizzled on the cake or warmed up and enjoyed as a beverage.
Look for Woodbridge Wines by Robert Mondavi in the California section of your local wine or liquor store.
And for more amazing tips, recipes and pairing suggestions and recommendations, visit https://www.woodbridgewines.com/Food-Wine/food-recipes.php or https://www.woodbridgewines.com for wine pairing ideas
Bon App!
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- For the Poached Pears: (Make day before cake)
- 1 750 ml bottle of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Merlot 2017
- 6 or 7 ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled but keep the stems on
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 200 grams or 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup maple syrup
- Zest from 2 mandarins
- 2 mandarins sliced thickly (the two that were zested)
- 260 g or 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 95 g or 3/4 cup of cocoa flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch of salt
- 227 g or 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 300 g or 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cup mulled wine
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 6 egg whites room temperature
- 400 grams or 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 450 grams or 2 cups softened unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup mulled wine room temperature
- In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk the sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Merlot together and allow to slightly bubble.
- Add the zest from the 2 mandarins
- Place the pears and mandarin slices in and reduce heat to simmer -no lid
- Simmer for about 30 minutes or until pears are soft when pierced with a knife
- Once the pears are ready, remove from pot with a slotted spoon onto a plate
- Continue simmering just the wine for another 25 minutes until it has reduced to about 2 1/2 cups more or less.
- In a measuring container or bowl, pour the reduced mulled wine through a mesh sieve.
- Discard the mandarine peel, cinnamon stick etc from the reduced wine.
- Pop pears back in the mulled wine, allow to come to room temperature before popping in fridge to chill (cover with lid or plastic wrap before putting in fridge)
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease and flour two 9 inch spring form pans with bottoms lined with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, sift the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and give it a good whisk
- In your stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter at medium high speed for about 5 minutes until creamy and butter has become pale.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time
- On the stir setting of your mixer (slowest speed) or with a spatula, fold in about a third of the dry flour mix, then about half of the room temperature mulled wine
- Repeat by stirring in a third of the flour, then the remaining half mulled wine and ending with the last third flour mix. Do not over stir! Gently until major flour streaks are absorbed.
- Pour the batter equally into the two pans. Spread to smooth out with an offset spatula
- Bake for 30 minutes or until tester stick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
- Brush some mulled wine all over the cakes while they’re cooling on their racks (optional)
- Once they have completely cooled, wrap snuggly with plastic wrap and pop in fridge while you make the Swiss meringue buttercream
- In a medium saucepan filled with couple inches of water on medium heat, place the stand mixer bowl with the 6 egg whites and 2 cups of white sugar and bring water to a simmer while whisking constantly
- Whisk continuously until candy thermometer reads 160 F- or check by rubbing a bit of egg white between your thumb and finger. Egg white should no longer be gritty, and sugar has been completely dissolved
- Fit the mixer bowl in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form and the bowl returns to room temperature about 8-10 minutes
- Whisk in the 1/4 cup mulled wine in until just incorporated
- Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and start dropping in the room temperature butter in a couple table spoons at a time. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next dollop of butter.
- Once all the butter has been added beat another 5 minutes on medium
- Buttercream may look a bit lumpy at times...be patient, it'll smooth out with a couple minutes of beating.
- Tips: When making the Swiss Meringue buttercream, makes sure the bowl you whisk eggs in is super clean.
- Even after beating, if the buttercream looks lumpy, place back onto pot with simmering water and whisk by hand as the buttercream warms up. Return back to the mixer and beat again. Or blow a hairdryer over the lumpy swiss meringue buttercream while it beats.
- First…make sure cakes are completely cool. Refrigerating for at least 2 hours or freezing for about 20 minutes makes icing easier.
- Place first cake layer on your cake stand and spread out about 1/3 of the buttercream with an offset spatula
- Top with the next layer of cake and spread remaining buttercream with offset spatula on top and on sides of cake until smooth…
- Slice and core 1 or 2 poached pears
- Place the remaining poached pears on top (with or without other fruits is optional)
- Serve with a couple slices of poached pears.
- Tips: When making the Swiss Meringue buttercream, makes sure the bowl you whisk eggs in is super clean.
- Even after beating, if the buttercream looks lumpy, place back onto pot with simmering water and whisk by hand as the buttercream warms up. Return back to the mixer and beat again. Or blow a hairdryer over the lumpy swiss meringue buttercream while it beats.
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