Late Harvest Citrus Cake #SundaySupper

This is my kind of Sunday Supper theme. I could easily spend a few weeks posting about cooking and baking with wine.

Though this country is well-known for it´s Malbec, which I used in the red wine velvet cake, I decided to take another route, the sweet late harvest road that took me straight to a cake. This is a type of wine that I´m not familiar with. My research let me know that it´s sweetness comes from harvesting the grapes later than regular wines, so the natural sugars become more concentrated. At least that´s my interpretation from the many articles I read. Wine experts will probably be rolling their eyes right now. Too bad they´re not here so I could distract them with a piece of this cake. 

Our country´s wine estates are located mostly in the province of Mendoza. That´s were the malbec grape found it´s natural habitat. We have really good red wines here. You don´t have to pay a lot to be able to uncork a good bottle.
I have a childhood and lovely friend who, five years ago, opened the best wine-themed hotel in this country. And when I say wine-themed I mean it: even the spa is all about wine. You can get massages with torrontes body cream or get into a tub of spiced wine and relax. Not kidding, the tub is filled with water and dehydrated wine and spices (something that originated in France I think); it turns into the most wonderful magenta colored water. Talk about relaxing with a glass of wine! It could give Diane de Poitiers´ milk baths a run for her money.

It´s located in the middle of a vineyard, with the Andes as background. Absolutely breathtaking in an indescribable way. But I digress.

The late harvest I used in this cake is paired with citrus and olive oil, a light one. I wanted the aftertaste of the wine to be present. After all, it´s all about the wine today.

By itself, the cake only needs a dusting of powdered sugar, though the caramelized apples I added make for a more complete dessert. It would also work with caramelized peaches or plums. I took a tip from my friend Mauricio and cut the apples unpeeled, then caramelized them with sugar and near the end added the same white wine I use in the cake and cooked for another minute.

The crumb is tight and a dream to cut. It turned out that if you slice it thin and bake it in a wire rack at a low tº, you will get amazing biscotti.

There´s a smoky immediate flavor when you first bite into this cake. Then it becomes citrusy. This is not a very sweet cake. I imagine a nice day outside, after a grilled lunch, enjoying a slice with a glass of a late harvest frappé. 

LATE HARVEST CITRUS CAKE

barely adapted from In TheSweet Kitchen, by Regan Daley

6 large eggs, room tº, separated

¾ cup + 1 Tbs granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup + 2 Tbs cake flour (not self-rising)

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup fruity olive oil

1/3 cup canola oil

Zest of ½ orange

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 tangerine

½ cup good quality late harvest wine

Confectioner´s sugar for dusting

Caramelized apples (see below)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Brush a 9-inch spring form pan lightly with olive oil. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Oil the paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment, or with a handheld mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale, the ribbon stage, 3 to 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl sift together the flours, salt and baking powder and set aside.

Change to the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer. Beat in the oils and the zests into the egg mixture, the stir in the wine, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Fold the flour mixture in three additions, blending gently after each.

In a separate bowl beat, beat egg whites until they hold a medium peak. Fold into the batter in three stages, and then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the tº to 325º and continue baking until the surface of the cake is golden brown, springs back when lightly touched and a tester comes out clean. It may have cracked a bit, though mine didn´t.

Transfer to a rack and cool before unmolding by running a knife around the edges of the cake and removing the sides of the pan.

Dust with confectioners´ sugar before serving.

Caramelized apples: Wash and dry 2 green apples but don´t peel them. Cut them in quarters. In a skillet melt 2 Tbs butter, wait until it starts to foam and add the apples. Cook for a minute and add 2 Tbs sugar. Cook the apples turning once or twice so all sides are golden, about 2 more minutes. Add ¼ cup late harvest wine and cook a bit more until it almost evaporates. 

This Sunday Supper, we welcome you to the Schlossadler Family of Wine and look forward to breaking bread with you!   We are honored to be sharing a selection of fruity and dry wines from The Wine Club by Schlossadler Wines.  When speaking with Hans Schlossadler, you can feel his passion and pride in his wine selections.   He is proud of the fact that since 1979, Schlossadler Wines has been importing fine wines from family owned vineyards and bringing it right to your doorstep.  I love the fact that Schlossadler International Wines imports from small family vineyards.  As you can imagine, this reminds me of my childhood and the care that goes into making sure the wine from those small vineyards is absolutely the best.

The talented group of Sunday Supper Bloggers have developed fabulous recipes and can’t wait to share these wines with you:

1.    2006  H.O. Becker, Kerner Auslese, Rheinhessen

2.    2010  Ernst Holler, Blaufrankisch, Burgenland

3.    2010  Kotuku Winery, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

We welcome you to grab a glass of wine and join us for this week’s special Sunday Supper Wine Event.  We will be sharing these fabulous recipes along with the perfect wine pairing at 7:00 pm ET.  We will be sharing these amazing recipes with you all day!

·         A Midsummer’s Picnic w/ Wine by GirliChef

·         Shrimp Scampi with Homemade Garlic Toast by Big Bears Wife

·         Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw by ENOFYLZ

·         Wine & Dine with Schlossadler International Wine Club by Wine Everyday

·         Elegant Pot Roast by Daily Dish Recipes

·         Chicken with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes + Apple Crisp by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

·         Shepherd’s Pie with Red Wine Mushroom Gravy by Juanita’s Cocina

·         Pork Piccatta by Family Foodie

·         Shrimp Skagen Salad in Avocado Halves by Tora’s Real Food

But the fabulous recipes don’t stop there, there are more amazing recipes to pair with this fabulous wine:

·         Shrimp Salad With Lemon Tarragon Dressing by Magnolia Days

·         Red, White and Cordon Bleu by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

·         Chicken Florentine by There and Back

·         Penne Rigate with a White Ragu Sauce by Momma’s Meals

·         Moules a la Provencale by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen 

·         Delicious BBQ Ribs by Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again

·         Chicken and Mushroom Chicken Piccata by Small Wallet Big Appetite

·         Ginger Roast Chicken with Red Wine Plum Sauce by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

·         Beef Stroganoff  by From Fast Food to Fresh Food

·         Strawberry-Pink Champagne Sorbet by  The Messy Baker Blog

·         Italian Style Baby Back Ribs by Cooking Underwriter 

·         Muscat and Raspberry Cake by Happy Baking Days

·         Pretty in Pink Champagne Macarons  by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends

·         Roasted Sausages with Grapes by Comfy Cuisine

Wine Pairings by  ENOFYLZ

Join us at 7pm ET for our #SundaySupper Chat with @schlossiwines.   Follow along on twitter by using hashtag #Sundaysupper or using Tweetchat.  

We love to feature your recipes on our #sundaysupper pinterest board and share them with all our followers.

We have a special discount for all participants:  Free Shipping when you join The Wine Club by Schlossadler Wines use code FFSS1.

Next Shipment is October 2012 ~ Halloween Day  Ghostly Whites, Haunted Red for all friendly spirits everywhere.

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Website: www.schlossadler.com