Rich, moist, and flavorful, this red wine chocolate cake has an amazingly unique taste and fudgy, chocolatey flavor. The combination of wine and chocolate is irresistible!
Last week, I had a dinner party with friends, which naturally meant lots of food, wine, and desserts. As I’m sure you can already guess, the leftover wine found its way into chocolate cake batter – the combination of which turned out to be divine.
It truly is the perfect cake. The wine makes the chocolate cake very fudge-like, giving it an intense, rich flavor that you’ll definitely notice. The alcohol doesn’t bake out fully, though, so this is the kind of dessert you only want to make for adults. With its fancy name and even fancier flavor, this dessert would make a splash at any wine tasting.
How to make red wine chocolate cake
For this recipe, I use dark brown sugar to deepen the flavor and moisten the cake. Plenty of cocoa helps to keep it super fudgy and chocolaty while balancing out the alcohol, and round cinnamon enhances the flavor (although you can’t taste it in the final product). I experimented with several different wines such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and shiraz, and all of them turned out amazing.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C degrees. Grease a Bundt pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in (or fold by hand) the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating it with the wine in 2 additions (starting and ending with the flour). Do not overmix.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn it out and let it cool completely.
Serving tip: Dust the cake with powdered sugar or a drizzle of chocolate ganache! Both look and taste amazing.
What kind of red wine should I use?
I recommend using any dry red wine for this cake. You can use any variety you want — I experimented with cabernet, shiraz, and merlot, and all worked great. Definitely don’t splurge on the wine for this cake. Because it’s baked in, a cheaper variety is just fine.
Can I freeze this cake?
Yes, you can freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the fridge or on the countertop overnight.
Does this cake contain alcohol?
Yes. Only serve this cake to adults who can have alcohol.
More of my favorite easy cakes
- Chocolate Pecan Espresso Cake: Moist and tender espresso cake with delicious pieces of buttery pecans and rich dark chocolate.
- Spice Cake: Light and tender spice cake topped with smooth and rich cream cheese frosting.
- Pumpkin Banana Bread: Two classic loafs are combined for this moist and tender pumpkin banana bread.
- Carrot Loaf Cake: Perfectly moist and flavorful carrot cake topped with luscious cream cheese frosting.
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
This moist, rich red wine cake cake is great to make ahead for special occasions because its flavor improves the next day. It's got a super chocolate-red wine flavor that's unbelievable!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks/227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar (preferably dark)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) dry red wine
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.
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In a medium bowl sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
-
In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in (or fold by hand) the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating it with the wine in 2 additions (starting and ending with the flour). Do not overmix.
-
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn it out and let it cool completely. Dust the cake with powdered sugar or drizzle chocolate ganache over the cake.
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Store cake at room temperature in airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Cake can be frozen for up to 2 months.
