Announcing WBW13: Like Wine For Chocolate

I have the pleasure to announce that I will be hosting the 13th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, scheduled for September 7. Being the chocolate lover that I am, the theme I have set is Like Wine for Chocolate*: for this edition I would like you to look for a wine that will pair beautifully with an intensely flavored chocolate cake. Sweet or dry, red, white, rosé or polka-dotted -- your choice entirely!

Below, you will find my super-easy recipe for Melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Cake (a variation of the cake I featured many moons ago), but you should feel free to use your own recipe or simply buy it from your favorite bakery. However, to make our entries comparable it should preferably be a dense and moist chocolate cake -- think nut-less brownies.

All bloggers (food, wine or otherwise) are welcome to participate. Post your entry on Wednesday, September 7 -- complete with tasting notes, comments and a picture of the wine and cake if you can -- then email me with a link to your entry. I will post a roundup in the following days.

I am looking forward to seeing what you will come up with. Happy choco-wine tasting!

*In reference to Laura Esquivel's superb novel Like Water for Chocolate.

Melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Cake

- 200g (2 sticks minus 1 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 200g (7 oz) dark chocolate
- 200g (1 C) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 eggs
- a rounded tablespoon of flour

Note: like all dark chocolate cakes, this cake is best made a day ahead (or at least in the morning if you serve it for dinner).

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper (no need to if you're using a non-stick pan).

Melt together the butter with the chocolate (in a double-boiler or in the microwave slowly and for just a few seconds at a time, blending with a spoon between each pass). Transfer into a medium mixing-bowl. Add in the sugar and salt, stir with a wooden spoon and let cool a little. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add in the flour and mix well.

Pour the dough into the pan, and put into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off but leave the cake inside for another ten minutes, then put the pan on a cooling rack on the counter to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and take it out about an hour before serving.