Butter-free version, Adapted from Mast Brothers recipe featured in Bon Appétit Magazine February 2014, gluten-dairy-free
Valentine’s Day is about love and everyone we love. It spans from the sizzling lust of a new relationship, to the dulcet caresses of a long marriage, to the affection between friends who have few secrets and share a personal history that no one else will ever understand.
There is nothing like the power of relationships of longevity, where nothing needs to be explained, and where we can repose in the safety of the benefit of the doubt. Therein, we dwell in the love of everything that surrounds us from the bare trees trimmed with snow, the solitude of the sunrise, the laughter of friends sharing a glass of wine and a nibble of something naughty and chocolaty.
And what better than wine and chocolate pave the way on Valentine’s Day, which makes this wine-glazed chocolate cake perfect for a sweet nightcap with your lover or a sinful dessert to indulge in with close friends!
Wine-Glazed Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup coconut oil (that has solidified in the cold), spoon into pieces, plus more for pan
⅓ cup gluten-free flour, plus more for pan
8 oz. Mast Brothers Brooklyn chocolate bar(73% cacao), finely chopped (73% cacao), chopped
1 cup coconut sugar
4 large eggs
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Glaze
8 oz. Mast Brothers Brooklyn chocolate bar(73% cacao), finely chopped
¼ cup more coconut oil, spooned into small pieces
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup of North Fork red wine, we are using the Merlot from Macari Vineyards
Cake
Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour pan. Heat chocolate, sugar, and 1 cup coconut oil 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, 50 to 60 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.
Because we are using gluten-free flour the cake will have a denser quality and will rise less as a result. For this reason I prefer to bake this cake in cupcake tins and serve individually.
Glaze And Assembly
Heat chocolate, coconut oil, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring, until chocolate and oil are melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar.
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 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.
