Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Sugared Cranberries

Instructions

Prepare the Cake Layers

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325. Generously butter two 9-inch cake pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
2. Sift 2 cups cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into medium bowl.
3. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beating just until blended after each addition.
6. Gradually add wine, beating just until smooth.
7. Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 15 minutes. Run small knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto racks; lift pans off cakes and remove parchment. Place wire rack atop each cake, invert again so top side is up.
8. Cool completely.

To Make the Frosting

1. Bring 1 cup cream to boil in small saucepan. Slowly pour cream over grated white chocolate and stir until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the whipping cream and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours. Can be made one day ahead; cover and keep chilled.
2. Add mascarpone to chilled mixture; Using electric mixer; beat on low speed until blended and smooth. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until mixture is thick and medium-firm peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 2 minutes (do not overbeat or mixture will curdle).
3. To Assemble the Cake:
4. Brush crumbs from cakes. Place one cake layer, top side up, on platter. Divide frosting in half and spread one-half on first cake layer. Using offset spatula, spread frosting to edges. Top with second layer, top side up. Spread remaining frosting over top of cake.
5. Chill.

To make sugared cranberries

1. Wash cranberries and remove any bad berries.
2. To Make the Sugared Cranberries:
3. Combine sugar, water and wine in a small pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and cook on medium low heat until some of the cranberry skins just start to pop and water starts to turn pink; 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Drain cranberries in a colander set over a bowl. Spread sugar on a cookie sheet and gently put the cranberries on the sugar and roll them until coated. Let them stand in a single layer at room temperature until dry, about 1 hour.
5. Return the drained juice to a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Cool completely.

To Serve

1. Mound the cranberries on the top of the chilled cake. Drizzle some of the red wine sauce on each plate and top with slices of cake and sugared cranberries.