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Days of Wine and Roses Cupcake

August 23rd, 2008

Days of Wine and Roses Cupcake – light chocolate cupcake with grated bittersweet chocolate, a hint of cinnamon and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon, with red wine-infused bittersweet chocolate ganache topped with red rose made of pliable candy. Price available upon request.

life is a cabernet

There used to be rules on how to pair wine with food but as people’s palates became more adventurous, there seems to be no more right or wrong combinations. It all depends on one’s experimentations. There is still this basic guide, though: light foods goes with light wine, and robust food goes with heavy wine.

This is also true when serving wine with chocolates. Strange bedfellows, one might say, but their combination can actually be a match made in heaven. However, this unusual pairing is not for everyone. Again, it depends on individual tastes and preferences. You should try this though and see what works and what does not.

This cupcake recipe calls for dry red wine, and I use Cabernet Sauvignon for its bold flavor which also goes well with bittersweet chocolate, one of the cupcake ingredients. If you happen to get hold of a recipe calling for dry red wine, you can either use a Zinfandel, a Merlot, a Shiraz or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Just remember, if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook (or bake) with it.

As I was mixing the batter, I tasted some and I liked it. Rightfully so, I also liked the baked product. So this was what I learned: if the cake batter tastes good, the resulting cake will also taste good.

The ganache topping also has a splash of Cabernet. I wanted to name this creation “Days of Wine and Roses” so what better decoration to put than a life-like red rose (molded from pliable candy) on top?

By the way, I think this cupcake can also be served during weddings or debuts. While I cannot change the color of the rose (alas, the candy only comes in red color), the motif can be reflected in ribbons tied around the cupcakes. You can also choose which cupcake flavor to go with this type of decoration. Kindly contact me for details.

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Some useful wine terminology:
Aroma – the smell of a wine, especially young wines
Bouquet – the complex of aromas that develops with age in fine wines; young wines have aroma, not bouquet
Dry – not sweet, except in sparkling wines, where dry means sweet
Full-bodied – full proportion of flavor and alcohol; big, fat
Legs – the viscous rivulets that run down the side of the glass after swirling or sipping, a mingling of glycerin and alcohol
Long – fine wines should have a long finish, or aftertaste
Oenology – the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking from the grape harvest to bottle
Oenophilia – love of wine
Oenophile – lover of wine
Tannin – a natural component found to varying degrees in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes; most prominent in red wines, where it creates a dry, puckering sensation in young reds of concentrated extract; mellows with aging and drops out of the wine to form sediment; a major component in the structure of red wines
Vintage – the year in which a particular wine’s grapes were harvested

You can find more wine terminology here.

Entry Filed under: All About Cupcakes,Chocolate,Wedding Cupcakes,Wine and Spirits