Dark Chocolate Cake with Balsamic Cherries & Cabernet Buttercream

Dark chocolate olive oil sponge cake, brushed with cherry juices, filled with balsamic vinegar and dark sweet cherry compote, and frosted in Cabernet American buttercream. The Aquarius cake.

This cake combines some of my favorite winter flavors: dark chocolate and wine. The cherries were a special request from my boyfriend, the recipient of the original version of this cake, which was made for his birthday last year (yes, he’s an Aquarius).

When researching what to do for the Aquarius edition of my astrology cake series, I started with the traditional correspondences for each sign in terms of colors, fruits, flavors, etc, and developed the cake from there, adding my own personal interpretations. Luckily for me, this cake already drew upon the correspondence of orchid and Elder with their deep purple hues, as well as the correspondence of “distinctive strong flavors” with the red wine. So, I decided to improve upon my cake from last year as this year’s Aquarius cake.

The base of this cake is my Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, my favorite chocolate cake. The cake is brushed with the juices from the cooked cherries, infusing more cherry flavor into the sponge itself. The cherries (preferably frozen) are cooked down with granulated sugar and balsamic vinegar, creating a jammy, balanced compote. The balsamic vinegar adds acidity, helping to break down the cherries and deepen the flavor profile. However, the flavor of the compote will depend heavily on the balsamic vinegar you choose, so select a flavor you enjoy. Fig or even cherry balsamic vinegar would be lovely here.

This cake is frosted in my Cabernet American Buttercream. It is rich, tangy, completely delicious, and entirely un-optional. My most recent post details my additional thoughts (and some tips!) for this frosting, so feel free to check that out if you feel inclined to do so!

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Dark Chocolate Cake with Balsamic Cherries & Cabernet Buttercream

Makes one 6 inch triple-tier cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 batch Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

For the cherries:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen (preferably frozen) dark sweet cherries

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• Pinch of salt

For the buttercream:

• 1 batch Cabernet American Buttercream (1.5 (or even 2!) batches if you want to decorate more intricately)

Method:

For the cake:

1. Bake the cake as written in 3 6-inch tins. Cool completely before assembling.

For the cherries:

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat.

3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.

4. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the compote gets too dry, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. This will prevent burning.

5. Once the time has elapsed, the cherries should be soft and jammy but still relatively intact. If you want the cherries to be more broken down, continue to simmer or mash partially with a potato masher .

6. Remove the compote from the heat, cool, then refrigerate until ready to use. The compote must be cool when assembling.

For the buttercream:

7. Complete the buttercream recipe as written. Set aside at room temperature until ready to assemble. I would not recommend making this frosting ahead of time.

Assembly:

8. Place your first layer of cake on your serving plate or cake board.

9. Brush generously with cherry juices. Let sit for 1-2 minutes.

10. Add a scoop of your buttercream and spread evenly across your layer of cake.

    Create a dam around the outside rim of the cake layer by either piping or indenting the buttercream with an offset spatula. The dam is essential to keep the cherries from spilling out the sides.

11. Fill the dam with your cherries, spreading evenly.

12. Add your next cake layer, pressing down gently. Repeat steps 16-19.

13. Add your final cake layer.

14. Brush the cake layer with your cake soak and let sit for 1-2 minutes.

15. Add a large scoop of buttercream and thinly coat the entire cake as evenly as possible to create a crumb coat.

16. Place your thinly frosted cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, or until the frosting has hardened.

17. Once the crumb coat is solid, add your remaining buttercream and evenly coat the cake.

18. Garnish your cake as desired and enjoy :)