A little bit of spice, dark rich chocolate and spicy blackberry combine in this absolutely stunning Spicy Dark Chocolate Cake with Hot Blackberry Syrup.
I cannot believe the holidays are upon us already, but they are and it’s time for me to get organized, get planning and spend a lot more time in the kitchen.
Not that I mind, because I definitely don’t. I love this time of year, from the twinkling lights, to the crisp cold air, to the strands of garland and tree’s adorned in beautiful shining ornaments.
Fires in the fireplace, spending time with family, it’s all just a big part of this time of year for me. The other thing that is a huge part of this time of year is party planning.
My blog will be filled with plenty of holiday party recipes this season.
When planning our food for any party we host, we make a meal plan and consider the likes and dislikes of our friends and family.
I love spicy food, but I do not like heat just to have heat. I want there to be flavor, a smoky, savory flavor that goes with that spice.
So I turn to my favorite flavor of Tabasco Sauce to help get that result. There’s a flavor for anything. Even the sweet desserts.
As for looking for holiday party recipes, I cannot pass up a good dessert for any get together. This Spicy Dark Chocolate Cake w/Hot Sweet and Spicy Blackberry Syrup is amazing!
It’s got just enough spice to satisfy those with a fun and natural curiosity towards spice, but remains true to it’s sweet origins.
The actual cake is a moist, decadent, rich dark chocolate flavor and the ganache just gives it an extra punch on the outside of the cake.
Drizzle that delicious Tabasco infused Blackberry sauce over the top of the cake and this just creates a mouth full of flavor different from any other cake I’ve had.
So in order to get this recipe made, we made a couple of stops to get all the ingredients.
First up was Walmart where I found the Tabasco sauce hanging out in between the Ketchup and Mustard and the BBQ sauce. The packaging is bright and vibrant so they were easy to spot.
Then we grabbed up a few items I was out of and made one last stop (but you do NOT have to do this) to a specialty chocolate shop here that provides Gourmet Baking Chocolate.
I did this because this cake was for a special occasion. It is NOT necessary. Any store that carries baking chocolate works just fine for any of your baking chocolate needs.
And then it was time to head home and bake a cake. The cake isn’t the quickest cake in the world to make, but the results are so worth it.
At the event it was taken to, it was the first dessert of about 6 that was totally gone. So I think it was a big hit and it looks gorgeous on a cake stand or serving platter, just beckoning people in to grab a slice.
Spicy Dark Chocolate Cake w/Hot Blackberry Syrup
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons tabasco
For the Icing:
- 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
For Sweet and Spicy Blackberry Sauce
- 1 ½ cup Blackberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons Tabasco
Instructions
- For the Cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Mix well.
- In another bowl, mix together the oil, milk and Tabasco. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for several minutes until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared round cake pan.
- Bake for 1 hour. Use a toothpick or knife in the center to check for doneness. As soon as it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Allow to cool completely before pouring the Ganache over the top.
- For the Ganache:Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, as it’s starting to bubble, but not froth, pour the chopped chocolate in and then whisk until nice and smooth.
- Remove from stove and allow to cool for about 10-20 minutes before pouring over the top of the cake. Now we whipped ours, but that’s not necessary.
- For the Hot Blackberry Sauce:Bring all ingredients for the Blackberry sauce to boil in a pan. Mash the blackberries down a little here and there with a fork. Sample the sauce and if you think it needs more sugar (Some blackberries are very tart) add some a few tablespoons at a time, and if you think it needs more spice (some of us like it HOT) add some more Tabasco a ½ teaspoon at a time, stir well and sample again. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
- When ready to serve the cake, pour the Spicy Blackberry sauce over the top of the whole cake. It’s okay for the liquid to fall off the sides, it soaks into the cake and is heavenly!
I need to get on your guest list! What a creative recipe; it looks amazingly delicious! #client