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Chocolate Spice Cake with Cranberry Sorbet

Chocolate Spice Cake with Cranberry Sorbet

This rich Chocolate Spice Cake is enhanced with dark chocolate, black coffee, and a host of spices. It's served warm with a scoop of tangy and tart cranberry sorbet.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chilling Time 5 hours
Servings: 9
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry Sorbet
  • ¾ cup water divided
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger shredded
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 340g (12oz) fresh cranberries
  • ½ cup cranberry cocktail **
  • 1 tbsp Chambord ***
Chocolate Spice Cake
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup black coffee
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
To Finish
  • pomegranate arils for sprinkling

Equipment

  • 1 Large skillet
  • 1 blender or food processor
  • 1 Ice Cream Maker
  • 1 Loaf pan chilled in the freezer
  • 1 small saucepan
  • 1 8x8 baking pan

Method
 

For the Sorbet
  1. Pour ½ cup of the water into a large skillet. Add the sugar, ginger, and salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the cranberries. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the berries are jammy. Set aside to cool.
    ¾ cup water, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tsp fresh ginger, ¼ tsp salt, 340g (12oz) fresh cranberries
  2. Once the cranberries are at room temperature, transfer them to a blender or a food processor. Add the cranberry cocktail, the remaining water, and the Chambord. Blitz everything together until very smooth.
    ½ cup cranberry cocktail **, 1 tbsp Chambord ***
  3. Pour the sorbet base into a bowl and chill for 1 hour. Pour the base into an ice cream maker and churn for 30 minutes or until the mixture reaches a sorbet-like consistency.
  4. Transfer the sorbet to a chilled loaf pan and smooth the top. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight.
For the Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking pan and line the base with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Place butter and coffee in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt the butter into the coffee and take the saucepan off of the heat. Immediately add the chocolate, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is very smooth.
    ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup black coffee, ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, ¼ cup cocoa powder, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp salt
  3. Add the egg yolk and eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk again until very smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and set it aside.
    2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk
  4. Shift the flour, baking soda, and spices into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until no flour streaks remain.
    ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  5. Pour the finished batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake and removed cleanly.
  6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cutting board. Slice the cake into 9 squares. Top each with a generous scoop of the cranberry sorbet and garnish with pomegranate arils, if desired. Serve immediately.
    pomegranate arils

Notes

** I don't ordinarily buy cranberry cocktail because of the added sugar. But in this instance we want that extra sweetness, so don't substitute this for pure cranberry juice.
*** Cointreau or Grand Marnier would work well here too.