Chocolate Plum Cake with Mulled Wine Caramel
This Chocolate Plum Cake features layers of dense chocolate cake and poached plums encased in Swiss meringue buttercream and topped with mulled wine caramel.
Equipment
- Loaf pan
Ingredients
Poached Plums
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 4 slices fresh ginger
- 3 star anise pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 red plums cut into wedges
Chocolate Loaf Cake
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup strong coffee cooled
- ⅓ cup neutral oil I used canola oil
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened, cut into cubes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Mulled Wine Caramel
- 1 batch plum poaching liquid see above
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
For the Poached Plums
- Pour the wine and the sugar into a large skillet. Add the ginger slices, cardamom pods, star anise, and cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer.1 cup dry red wine, 1 cup sugar, 5 green cardamom pods, 4 slices fresh ginger, 3 star anise pods, 1 cinnamon stick
- Add the plums to the simmering liquid and cook for 20 minutes or until the plums can be easily pierced with a fork. Pour the contents of the skillet through a fine-mesh strainer. Remove and discard the ginger and the whole spices. Place the plums in a resealable container and the poaching liquid in another container. Transfer to the fridge and chill until cold.2 red plums
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.1½ cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp kosher salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk to combine the oil, coffee, vinegar, and vanilla. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the coffee mixture. Stir to combine.1 cup strong coffee, ⅓ cup neutral oil, 1 tsp cider vinegar, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick can be inserted in the center and removed cleanly. Set the cake aside to cool.
For the Buttercream
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Whisk to combine.3 egg whites, 1 cup sugar
- Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water. Whisk the egg whites constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture registers 160°F on a candy thermometer.
- Transfer the bowl from the pot to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the whites on high until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should be at room temperature at this point. If they are not, leave them to cool before proceeding with the next step.
- Exchange the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. Beat the butter into the egg white mixture, a couple of cubes at a time. Wait for each addition to become fully integrated before adding more. Once all the butter is in, add the vanilla and salt and beat for 30 seconds more. Transfer the finished frosting to a bowl and keep it at room temperature until you're ready to frost.**¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp kosher salt
For the Caramel
- Pour the plum poaching liquid into a large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook until it registers 225°F on a candy thermometer.1 batch plum poaching liquid
- Take the caramel off of the heat and whisk in the butter until it melts. The caramel should sputter like mad. Finally, whisk in the cream. Transfer the finished caramel to a container with a spout and set it aside to cool to room temperature. ***2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp heavy cream
To Assemble
- Carefully remove the dome of the loaf cake using a serrated knife. Slice the remaining cake into three even layers. Set them aside.
- Place the largest layer on a cake turntable and pipe a border of the buttercream around the edges of the cake. Fill the center with plum slices and top with the second layer of cake. Pipe another boarder and fill the center with plum slices. Top with the remaining layer of cake.
- Apply a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake and transfer to the fridge. Chill for at least an hour. Once the cake is thoroughly chilled and the caramel is at room temperature, pour the caramel over the top of the cake and let it settle for 30 minutes. It's best to return it to the fridge for this.
- Once the caramel has settled, decorate the cake with fresh plums and sage leaves. Slice and serve.
Notes
** If you're planning on making the frosting a couple of days ahead of time, refrigerate it. And when you're ready to frost, take it out of the fridge an hour ahead of time.
*** Do not pour the caramel over the cake until it reaches room temperature. It will simply slide off of the cake if it is too hot.