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Celebrate National Port Wine Day

In celebration of National Port Day, we are sharing this delicious Chocolate Cake recipe with a Fortified Cherry Compote. Although all Port comes from Portugal, fortified wine made in the same style is now made across the world, including right here at Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland. 

The Narrative Fortified Wine is a combination of Merlot and Syrah fermented in concrete, fortified with our own grape spirits distilled on site, and aged for two years in neutral oak.

The wine exudes a rich, lush, almost creamy layered texture with beautiful refreshing acidity. Bright red and black fruits, pepper and spice, and all things nice.

SHOP NARRATIVE FORTIFIED WINE
Narrative Fortified Wine and Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake with Fortified Cherry Compote Recipe

By Melissa Leung

Serves: 8-10

Prep Time: 45 minutes  | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes |  Resting Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Cake:

  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¾ cup granulated white sugar
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • ¼ cup hot coffee

For the Cherry Compote:

  • 5 pounds cherries, pitted
  • ¼ cup granulated white sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup Narrative Fortified wine

 

For the Chocolate Whipping Cream:

  • 1 cup 35% whipping cream
  • 100 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup icing sugar

Directions:

For the Cherry Compote:

  1. Begin by making the cherry compote. Add the pitted cherries, sugar, and water to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. After 1 hour and 20 minutes, add the Narrative Fortified wine and simmer for another 10 minutes.
  3. At this point, the cherry compote should be reduced and be the consistency of a thick jam. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

 

For the Chocolate Cake:

  1. Preheat to oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs.
  3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Then, add in the boiling water and hot coffee and mix to combine once more.
  4. Divide the batter evenly amongst the two baking pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are set.
  5. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then run a butter knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack and let cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
 
 

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream:

  1. While the cakes are baking, make the Chocolate Whipped Cream.
  2. Roughly chop the dark chocolate into 1-centimeter sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. Add the whipping cream into a small pot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until steam begins to evaporate off the cream and it is warm to the touch.
  4. Pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate and let it stand for 2 minutes. Then use a spoon to mix the chocolate and cream together until fully melted and a smooth chocolate ganache forms.
  5. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour until thickened.
  6. After 1 hour, remove the ganache from the refrigerator. Add the icing sugar and whip with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, slowly increasing the speed to medium-high. Whip until semi-stiff peaks form.
  7. Transfer the chocolate whipped cream to a piping bag with a large star piping tip. Then place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
 
 

To Assemble the Cake:

  1. Place one cake on a serving plate. Add ½ the cherry compote to the center of the cake and use an off-set spatula to spread the cherry compote into a circle. Leave a 1-inch gap around the edge of the cake to pipe some of the chocolate whipped cream.
  2. Use ½ of the chocolate whipped cream to pipe large dollops of whipped cream around the edge, containing the cherry compote in the middle.
  3. Next, place the other cake on top and repeat the process, adding the remaining cherry compote to the center of the cake, and piping dollops of the chocolate whipped cream around the edge.
  4. Garnish with fresh cherries and serve with a glass of Narrative Fortified wine. Enjoy!
 
 

Recipe Notes:

  • You can make the chocolate cake, cherry compote, and chocolate whipped cream a day in advance and assemble the cake when needed.