{"id":44016,"date":"2025-11-01T17:17:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T16:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/?p=44016"},"modified":"2025-11-01T18:32:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T17:32:07","slug":"chocolate-and-red-wine-cake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/en\/chocolate-and-red-wine-cake\/","title":{"rendered":"A chocolate and red wine cake. And the book that will be"},"content":{"rendered":"

Never underestimate the miraculous power of a chocolate and red wine cake. And never forget how important it is to create memories and preserve them.<\/span><\/p>\n

This reflection also gave rise to the idea for the <\/span>book that will be<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. First, let me tell you about this recipe for chocolate and red wine cake.<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember it as the forbidden cake.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

The one that we children weren’t allowed to eat but that\u00a0<\/span>nonna<\/span><\/em>\u00a0used to make at this time of year, with the arrival of the new wine, which, for me, born and raised in Romagna, was Cagnina.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cagnina is a sweet, fruity red wine made from the Terrano grape variety. It is a wine to be drunk young (<\/span>novello<\/span><\/em>).<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I remember the first cold evenings, the adults sitting around the table in the basement of our house, the fireplace lit and cards in hand, eating walnuts,\u00a0<\/span>scroccadenti<\/em><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0cookies,\u00a0<\/span>ciambella<\/span><\/em>, or chestnuts roasted in the flickering fire. And the scent of Cagnina in autumn, and\u00a0<\/span>vino caldo<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(mulled wine) around December.\u00a0<\/span>Vino caldo<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is the old way the Romagnoli called vin brul\u00e9.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kitchen Notes<\/h5>\n

This dessert is more of a dessert than a ciambella, <\/em>a typical Italian cake for breakfast. It has a soft and voluptuous texture and an intense flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t use Cagnina wine, but a red, still Sangiovese from Romagna. You can use another red wine, not sparkling.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dessert is easy to make, and you can combine the ingredients in a bowl with a hand whisk or an electric whisk, or in a stand mixer (use the wire whisk attachment; if you don’t know which one that is, choose the one that looks like a hand whisk).<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember to add one egg at a time, mixing well before adding the next one.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cake bakes for about 30 minutes. If you do the toothpick test, it should not come out completely clean.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nonna finished baking with the oven off, warm but not too hot, so that the inside remained moist when cut. You will find all the instructions in the recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the glaze<\/span><\/h5>\n

I used agar agar as a thickener. It is important to prepare the glaze when the chocolate cake has cooled completely; do not put the glaze on the cake while it is still hot.<\/span><\/p>\n

And since agar agar tends to solidify quickly, when the glaze is ready, spread it immediately and smooth it out quickly using a spatula.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you prefer, you can decorate the cake with a generous sprinkling of dark chocolate, white chocolate for a color contrast, or fresh fruit or black cherries in syrup.<\/span><\/p>\n

The chocolate and red wine cake recipe is a family recipe that each generation passes down to the next on an old sheet of paper. It was time to write it down on the pages of my blog, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

And now, let me tell you something about the <\/span>book that will be<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n