Mulled Wine Chocolate Cake with Black Cherry Buttercream Filling
Heather Baird
Stump de Noël is just as festive as the Bûche de Noël, but perhaps a little easier to make. It has delicious mulled wine flavor infused into the chocolate cake layers and it's filled with black cherry buttercream.
3ouncessemisweet chocolatemelted and cooled slightly
Instructions
Make the cake layers: Coat three 8-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray (such as Baker’s Joy brand), or grease and flour the pans.
Melt both chocolates in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.
Sift together flour and next 6 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in steaming red wine. The batter will thin with this addition. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Make the black cherry buttercream: Beat the butter in an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the preserves and whip until well combined. Beat in the powdered sugar. The frosting should be a pinkish-mauve, to intensify the color add a small amount of red food color. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread top with half of the black cherry buttercream (which is no shy amount, by the way). Top with second cake layer; spread top with second half of black cherry buttercream. Top with remaining cake layer.
Make the chocolate frosting: Beat the butter in an electric mixer until creamy. Sift in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the melted chocolate and beat until well combined.
Cover the entire cake with the chocolate frosting. The frosting will darken as it stands. Store the cake covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
To make the Stump de Noel, add 1/2 cup ground pistachios, 1/2 cup whole cranberries and cake decorator's gum paste to your grocery list. Follow the directions and step photos as outlined in the blog post.
Keyword black cherry buttercream, chocolate frosting, mulled wine chocolte cake