LEMON WINE CAKE WITH RASPBERRY CURD FILLING

Third Place Winner

2014 Missouri Wine Just Desserts Contest
Faye Hunton, Sedalia, MO

Cake:

1 (2-layer-size) package white cake mix

4 egg whites

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup raspberry wine (such as St. James Raspberry Wine)

Zest (colored part of peel) of 1 lemon

 

Raspberry Curd:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 pint fresh raspberries

5 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

 

Frosting:

1 (2-pound) bag confectioner's sugar

1 cup solid vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

1/4 cup water

1/4  cup raspberry wine

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons butter flavoring

Zest of 1 lemon

For cake: Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Combine cake mix, egg whites, water, raspberry wine and lemon zest in large mixing bowl; mix on low speed of electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Let cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely. When cool, slice each layer in half lengthwise, to make 4 layers.

For raspberry curd: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add raspberries, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Cook and mash berries, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, or until thickened. Pour mixture through a strainer placed over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. Let liquid cool to room temperature, then stir in lemon juice.

For frosting: Combine confectioners' sugar, shortening, water, raspberry wine, vanilla, butter flavoring and lemon zest in large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy.

To assemble cake:  Place one cake layer on cake plate; spread with one-third of the raspberry curd. Repeat with two more cake layers and remaining two-thirds of the raspberry curd. Place fourth cake layer on top. Frost sides and top with frosting. Decorate with additional fresh raspberries, if desired.

Yield: 12 to 14 slices.

Recipe and photos courtesy of Peaceful Bend Vineyards.

Prep time: 45 min, Cook time: 1 hr 30 min, Total time: 2 hrs 15 min

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 12 oz. box of gingersnap cookies
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling:

• ½ cup Norton wine
• 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup unflavored Greek yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• fresh raspberries for garnish

Directions:

Ingredients:

• 6oz    Vignoles
• 4oz    Triple Sec 
• 10     Limes 
• 3 cups    Ice
• Coarse salt 

Directions: 
Pour wine into a blender. Add triple sec. Slice limes in half and squeeze the juice into the blender. Use your free hand as a sieve to keep seeds out of the blender. Add the ice cubes to the blender. Secure the cover of the blender tightly. Pulse the blender a few times to break up the ice. Run the blender for 15-30 seconds at a time until the margarita is a slushy consistency. Moisten the top of four glasses with water or lime juice and dip them into a dish of salt. Pour the wine-rita into the prepared glasses and enjoy!

This BBQ sauce is rich (thanks to the wine), slightly sweet, and nicely thick with just a hint of a spicy kick. It is ideal for beef, lamb, and Portobello mushrooms, but could work with much more. This recipe makes about 4 ½ cups, enough for a group or to save. It keeps well for months.

Ingredients:

• 2 – 5.5 oz (156ml) cans tomato paste
• 1 cup (240ml) unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup (240ml) honey
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine vinegar (Ever tried making your own?)
• 1 cup (240ml) Missouri Norton, a full-bodied, rich red wine
• ¼ cup (60ml) dark molasses
• 1 Tbs. smoked paprika (We used mild)
• 1 Tbs. dry mustard powder
• 2 Tbs. onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. fine sea salt
• ½ tsp. ground allspice
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer longer if you like your BBQ sauce extra thick.

When the sauce has simmered for about 10 minutes, taste test it to see if you want to turn up the heat. If it needs more kick, add a tad more cayenne pepper. Continue simmering for at least 5 minutes.

Let the sauce cool and pour into a bottle or jar with a tight fitting lid. It’s delicious right away, but it’s even better the next day. Consider making it ahead of when you’ll be cooking out. The sauce will keep for months in the refrigerator and freezes well.

*Pro-tip: Keep some in a squeeze bottle for convenient condiment-ing.

Recipe adapted from KitchenFrau.com.

This sauce is amazing with grilled poultry, seafood and even pork. It’s perfect if you’re looking to get away from the traditional tomato based barbecue sauce. This sauce features bold and bright flavors of mustard, fresh rosemary, garlic and lime. It’s accented perfectly by the citrus flavors and acidity of Vidal Blanc.

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs, approximately 3 inches long each (if you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can substitute 1 Tbs. of dried rosemary)
• Zest of 2 limes
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 cup Missouri Vidal Blanc, a crisp, dry white wine with bright citrus flavors
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions:

Rinse the rosemary sprigs and pat dry. Strip off the leaves and finely chop the rosemary. It should be approximately 2 tablespoons.

In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, rosemary, lime zest, green onion, garlic, wine, olive oil, brown sugar and red pepper flakes until combined. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Store the sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator. It should be good for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 3/4 cups, but can easily be doubled if you’re expecting a crowd.

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pint ice cream

1 bottle (750mL) Missouri wine

16 oz of club soda

1 cup fruit

Directions

You can use any glassware you’d like as long as it is can accommodate 16 ounces or so; mason jars work for a fun presentation. To assemble the wine floats, scoop approximately ½ cup of ice cream (this is usually about 2 scoops) into each of the glasses. Pour 4-6 oz. of wine and 3-4 oz of club soda into each of the glasses, alternating a couple of times. This helps mix the float without melting the ice cream too fast. Top your dessert cocktail with fruit and serve with a straw and a spoon. Enjoy!

Flavor Combinations we recommend:

• Chocolate Ice Cream + Chambourcin Wine + Strawberries
• Mango Sorbet + Vignoles Wine + Pineapple
• Vanilla Ice Cream + Concord Wine + Raspberries or Black Grapes
• Vanilla Ice Cream + Vidal Blanc Wine + Melon
• Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Wine + Norton + Cherries
• Vanilla Ice Cream + Sweet Sparkling Wine + Raspberries (If you use this combo for a float, you can skip the club soda and replace it with additional sparkling wine.)

Serves 2-4 (depending on how thick you like your milkshakes)

Ingredients

1 pint ice cream

1-2 cups Missouri Wine (Chilled!)

1 cup fruit or other mix-ins (Optional)

Directions:

Scoop ice cream into the blender and add wine 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Pour into glassware of your choice. Top with whip cream and a cherry (optional), and serve with a straw. Enjoy!

*Pro-Tip: Put your glasses or mason jars in the freezer ahead of time. This will keep your frozen treat cold longer.

Flavor Combinations we recommend:

• Chocolate Ice Cream + Chambourcin Wine + Strawberries
• Mango Sorbet + Vignoles Wine + Pineapple
• Vanilla Ice Cream + Concord Wine + Raspberries or Black Grapes
• Vanilla Ice Cream + Vidal Blanc Wine + Melon
• Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Wine + Norton + Cherries

These basic truffles are easy to make and are delicious paired with a dry red wine, such as Pirtle's Alhambra.

Makes: About 35 truffles

Ingredients:
- 12oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/3 C heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (alternatives include hazelnut extract or maple extract)
- crushed nuts, cocoa powder or other coatings

Instructions:
1) In a double-boiler, or a large bowl over a simmering pot of water, combine chocolate and cream.
2) Cook, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in flavoring.
3) Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until set, but not hard, about 2 hours.
4) Form evenly into balls and roll in toppings, if desired.
5) Refrigerate until ready to serve

Adapted from a recipe from allrecipes.com

This sangria is a refreshing chilled treat for the early fall. We served this in the tasting room this fall and received an outpouring of requests for the recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:
- 1 bottle Pirtle Apple Wine
- 1/2 bottle water, chilled
- 1/4 C brown sugar
- 1 bag mulling spices
- about 9oz apple cider
- 2 honeycrisp apples, chopped
- 1 granny smith apple, chopped
- cinnamon sugar (optional)

Directions:
1) Slowly bring wine, and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat (do not boil).
2) Throw in the mulling spice bag, cover and steep for 5-10 mins.
3) Place chopped apples in pitcher.
4) Pour mulled wine and chilled water over apples.
5) Add the apple cider
6) Refrigerate overnight.
7) Serve over ice, rim glass with cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Pair with Pirtle Mellow Red. Peanut butter and concord grapes-- a match made in heaven! Like an adult pb&j!

Ingredients:
- 1C peanut butter
- 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
- 1/2C granulated sugar
- 1 tub (12 oz) Cool Whip or other whipped topping, thawed
- 1 prepared pie crust (chocolate or graham cracker works best)
- 2 tbsp Nutella spread, melted *optional*

Directions:
1) If desired, Melt Nutella in microwave about 30 seconds until pourable.
2) Pour Nutella into pie shell and spread across the bottom of pie shell.
3) Refrigerate to set while preparing filling.
4) Beat together 1 cup peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, until well combined.
5) Gently mix in whipped topping until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Using a spatula, smooth mixture to edges of pie.
6) Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe by Erin Finn