Cake Fit for a Zinfandel

Our student worker is celebrating her 21st Birthday this week. Of course, she'd never indulged in alcohol before (wink wink) so I am gently introducing her to boozy cakes.  I've always wanted an excuse to try a wine cake, and this was the perfect occasion. Nice big juicy reds pair nicely with chocolate and the addition of almond extract pulls even more flavor into the cocoa-wine combination.

Chocolate Zinfandel Chiffon Cake
Batter:
1 1/4 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
3 1/2 ounces Zinfandel
6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Syrup:
3/4 cup Zinfandel
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Sift together baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt.

2. In medium mixing bowl, beat on medium speed vanilla, almond, oil, yolks, and Zinfandel. Beat in flour mixture until well incorporated. Slowly add melted chocolate.

3. In clean bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until quite foamy. Slowly add sugar and beat to stiff peaks.

4. Whisk 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter. Then fold remaining egg whites gently into batter, 1/3 of the mixture at a time.

5. Spread batter into angel food cake pan. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven about 50 minutes or until done. Be careful not to over bake. Cool.

6. Bring Zinfandel, sugar, and cocoa powder to a simmer in a small saucepan. Allow to reduce to a syrup, about 10 minutes. Cool and stir in almond extract. There will be about 1 cup of liquid. Pour half over top of cake. Allow it to soak in (first, poke cake with a chop stick for more even soak). Remove cake from pan. Place bottom side up on cake plate and pour remaining liquid over bottom of cake. Allow to completely soak before frosting.

7. Frost with chocolate garnish or 7-minute frosting flavored with almond extract. Garnish with shaved chocolate.