Friday, January 6, 2012

Wine Dinner Extra: Liqueur Tasting: Mexican Chocolate Cake







Mexican Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
6 TBS water
Small fresh strawberries or raspberries

Heat oven to 350F.  Lightly coat an 8-inch round cake pan with vegetable spray.  Combine all the cake ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until smooth.  Pour into the pan and bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely. 

When the cake has cooked, mix together the first 3 glaze ingredients, gradually adding water as necessary for consistency.  Glaze cake, then dip each strawberry or raspberry into the glaze and set on top.
Let cake dry approximately 30 minutes. 

Served with a Guaycura Damiana.

Damiana Liqueur (paraphrased from their website):
Damiana Liqueur is a light herbal based liqueur from Mexico. It’s made with the damiana herb that grows in Baha California, Mexico. The bottle is shaped and modeled after the Incan goddess of fertility. Mexican margarita folklore says that the very first margarita ever made was with Damiana Liqueur.

1 comment:

  1. This was definitely interesting.
    I could see where it would be delicious in a margarita.
    Not sure how much I would want to drink just as a sipping liqueur - but part of that is me, I'm more of a 'fruity flavor' person when it comes to alcohol/mixed drinks.

    It went well with the chocolate cake I though.
    Cut the richness of not only the cake but also was a good order given the richness of the prior two desserts.

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