{"id":19684,"date":"2023-02-08T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/club31women.com\/?p=19684"},"modified":"2023-02-08T15:54:29","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T23:54:29","slug":"chocolate-red-wine-cake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/club31women.com\/chocolate-red-wine-cake\/","title":{"rendered":"Chocolate Red Wine Cake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you are looking for a delightful dessert for any occasion, this chocolate red wine cake is sure to satisfy your craving!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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If you are looking for a delightful dessert for any occasion, this chocolate red wine cake is sure to satisfy your craving. Make it to share with the one you love.<\/p>\n

Simple Gestures<\/h2>\n

I still remember our\u00a0first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife as if it were yesterday. We were so young, just babies really…pregnant with our first, baby, actually. Josh was working full time and going to school part time while I juggled two jobs…not very well, I might add. Throughout my entire pregnancy, I suffered badly from morning sickness from the moment I woke up until the time I went to bed, and I was just so tired all the time.<\/p>\n

On Valentine’s Day, Josh managed to get his schedule down to a half day, while I worked a full eight hour shift. I remember walking into our tiny 600 sq ft apartment and almost squishing\u00a0a walkway of colorfully wrapped chocolate candies. There was soft music playing, the table was set with a beautiful bouquet of red roses, and as I turned to my right, I saw Josh in the kitchen preparing dinner. But this was unlike any meal he had cooked for me before, which was usually a basic omelette or spaghetti from a jar. Josh was making chicken parmesan – he had a cookbook open and everything!<\/p>\n

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I was just so surprised! He told me to go change into something nice\u00a0(he was dressed up in black slacks and a dress shirt) and to relax on the couch while he finished\u00a0dinner (which was amazing, by the way!). I might also add that this one night, I didn’t deal with any morning (evening?) sickness at all. A true blessing from God, that!<\/p>\n

The Cost of High Expectations<\/h2>\n

Several years later into our marriage, I’m afraid I began to forget\u00a0about this simple gesture of cooking dinner for the one you love. My expectations for Valentine’s Day soared to some sort of Hollywood blockbuster movie version, and I’m ashamed to say that\u00a0when my day didn’t follow the movie I’d produced in my head…I sulked.<\/p>\n

I allowed a worldly,\u00a0flashy, and admittedly shallow, version of romance to poison my heart for a few years (years of tight finances and very young children)\u00a0and may have\u00a0hurt my husband deeply in the process. Eventually, after praying (a lot!) and struggling internally, I found\u00a0myself reflecting on the basics\u00a0of that first married Valentine’s Day together. A simple, thoughtful gesture of care for\u00a0the one you love.\"\"<\/p>\n

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” 1 Corinthians 13:4<\/em><\/p>\n

This post may\u00a0contain affiliate links through which\u00a0Club31Women might get a small compensation \u2013 with no additional cost to you. \u00a0See my disclosure policy here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Make Valentine’s Day Special!<\/h2>\n

Every Valentine’s Day, we make a point of setting aside one night as a family where we enjoy an especially “fancy”\u00a0dinner. For example, last year, Josh made B\u0153uf Bourguignon<\/a> with a cheese plate<\/a> as an appetizer. Sometimes we play games or watch an appropriate<\/em> romantic movie with the kids – we really like The Hundred-Foot Journey<\/em><\/a> or Leap Year<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a treat, I even make a special dessert, like this chocolate red wine cake! I can’t even begin to tell you how good it is, not to mention how simple it is to prepare. It’s a one layer chocolate cake that I like to dust lightly with powdered sugar for a little bit of extra sweetness and top each slice of cake with a dollop of mascarpone topping (of course!). But…if you can’t find mascarpone in your store, don’t worry, just top it with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream instead.<\/p>\n

If you’re feeding the cake to little ones, don’t worry about the alcohol content in the cake – that all cooks out during the baking process and you’re left with the beautiful flavor<\/em> of the wine instead. Of course, if the kids don’t like the cake, hey, more for you and your valentine! Let the kids enjoy the ice cream (topped with sprinkles, of course)!<\/p>\n

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Chocolate Red Wine Cake<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\tNeed a dessert that's easy, yet complex, not too sweet, but totally addictive? This Chocolate Red Wine Cake is for you...\t<\/div>\n\t
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Ingredients<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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For the Cake<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t