Chocolate Red Wine Gugelhupf

Snow on the East Coast be damned, we are screaming our way toward Valentine’s Day.  So I will cut to the chase and offer up my first Valentine’s Day dessert.

A gugelhupf is essentially a bundt cake and can be savory or sweet in variety. This one contains lots of chocolate, red wine, chocolate chips and a chocolate glaze. spike with red wine.

It’s rich and dense and full of semi-sweet chocolate goodness. Of course, this cake is also perfect for the Christmas holidays or for any special occasion. It’s all on how you dress it up.

I sprinkled red glitter sugar on top of the glaze before it set as well as some mini chocolate chips. You can leave the cake plain, glaze it or glaze and decorate it, loading it up with lots of sprinkles, quinns, jimmies, glitter sugar, etc. in seasonal colors.

• In a double boiler over medium heat, melt 1/3 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Remove from heat and let cool.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking
• powder and salt. Set aside.
• Grease an 8 + 1/2 cup capacity bundt pan. Coat the inside with a thin layer of all purpose flour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the unsalted butter, white granulated sugar and pure vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
• Whisk the ingredients together using the whisk attachment of your stand or hand mixer. Whip at medium-high speed until evenly combined.
• Add the 5 eggs, one after the other making sure each egg is thoroughly combined into the mixture before adding the next. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the melted chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Slow the mixer down to low speed and add the dry ingredients to the mixture. When the dry ingredients are almost combined, mix in the sour cream and red wine.
• Fold in one cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes to one hour or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let stand in the pan until the cake has cooled completely.
• Place the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/3 cup) in a pan with the cream, the 2 tablespoons of red wine and the vegetable shortening.
• Cook slowly over a low heat, stirring frequently.
• When all the ingredients have melted together, remove from heat and let cool 10 – 15 minutes.
• Place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove the cake from the bundt pan and transfer to the wire cooling rack.
• Evenly pour the glaze over the top of the cake. If using, immediately sprinkle the red sugar glitter over the top. Let glaze harden completely before transferring to a decorative serving plate and serving.