Newest chocolate obsession and guess what? It includes red wine! Are you celebrating this Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake with me? Because, if you like chocolate and wine, you'll definitely fall in love with this chocolate cake infused with red wine flavor with a sweet cream cheese frosting!
More chocolate? 75 Heavenly Chocolate Dessert Recipes and our Super Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe with Chocolate Frosting will definitely make you smile!
What You Can Expect From This Red Wine Chocolate Cake!
This Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake has a wonderful earthy, fruity flavor with the red wine that perfectly complements this velvety smooth dark chocolate cake.
The texture is tender, moist and is perfect for all special occasions, especially when entertaining!
Paired with creamy cream cheese frosting, this is a chocolate lover's dream with wine included!
Even beginning bakers will be able to slay this recipe with ease. There's no fuss, unless you're drinking multiple glasses of wine while making a wine cake. Then, it can go downhill real quick if that happens!
I was really inspired to make this cake after talking to my son Derek a few weeks ago. His girlfriend Emily had just made a red wine chocolate cake and he was telling me about how amazing it was.
Emily is an excellent baker, btw. Her family owned a restaurant when she was young, so she learned how to master cook and bake first-hand, so she definitely knows how to throw down!
So, of course, being the chocolate lover that I am, I wanted this recipe!! And with the addition of red wine, it sounded so intriguing and hell yes, I was all about, let's do this!
So thank you Emily for sharing one of your family's recipes with me! We all thank you!
Ingredients for Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Red Wine Chocolate Cake Recipe
- all-purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
, not Dutch processed
- baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter, softened
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- dry red wine
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
- cream cheese softened
- butter, softened
- confectioners' sugar
- pinch of salt
- vanilla extract
How to Make Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease two 9" round cake pans (works best if you also line the bottom with parchment paper). In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for at least 2 hours, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prepare the frosting by using mixer by beating the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt together until smooth and creamy. Ice cake - should be just enough to adhere the two layers and ice the entire cake. (See Notes)
- For a nice decorative touch to your cake, add some chocolate curls, truffles or some fresh cut seasonal flowers would be beautiful. It is close to Mother's Day after all and what better way to show mom (and all the adults in the room) some love!
Tips & Tricks For Red Wine Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Use a premium quality baking cocoa
and a red wine that you wouldn’t mind drinking on it’s own.
- By substituting red wine instead of buttermilk or sour cream, the wine brings a deep red hue to the cake. It's really beautiful.
- Make sure the butter is softened, or the butter will chunk up, especially if you add cold eggs.
- Eggs in this chocolate wine cake are best used, when they are room temperature, that way the butter doesn't chunk up in the recipe.
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened as well. Softened room temperature cream cheese makes for a smooth frosting.
- Double frosting recipe if you want more frosting. I used a double batch on the cake pictured, but more frosting in middle and top of cake and less on sides, resembling a naked cake.
About Red Wine Tips
- As I noted above, use a red wine that you would normally drink. I love delicious Pinot Noir and it's usually what I have stocked around the homestead.
- Emily used a rich Cabernet Sauvignon. But you could use a nice Merlot, Zinfandel or Syrah/Shiraz. That said, red wines are often classified by “body-type”.
My 3 Other Go-To Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Easy Keto Chocolate Cake
- Super-Moist Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
More Delicious Desserts!
- Mini Red Velvet Brownies
- Ultimate Carrot Cake
- 25 Drool-Worthy Red Velvet Dessert Recipes
- Valentine Red Velvet Party Blast Cookie Pie
- Banana Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder not Dutch processed
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature if possible
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups dry red wine
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar add more if you prefer sweeter icing or thicker icing
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease two 9" round cake pans (works best if you also line the bottom with parchment paper). In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for at least 2 hours, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prepare the frosting by using mixer by beating the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt together until smooth and creamy. Ice cake - should be just enough to adhere the two layers and ice the entire cake. (See Notes)
- For a nice decorative touch to your cake, add some chocolate curls, truffles or some fresh cut seasonal flowers would be beautiful. It is close to Mother's Day after all and what better way to show mom (and all the adults in the room) some love!
Notes
Recipe from Emily Snider
Kim Lange says
Thank you so much Valentina!! xo
Valentina says
I've never made a cake with wine before, and I must! A beautiful celebration cake. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
How interesting! I've seen some no-bake wine desserts (And I've tried some myself too, like sorbet), but I would not have thought of using it in a cake, and not just in frosting but incorporating into the batter. Needless to say, this cake looks and sounds just fabulous!
Katherine | love in my oven says
Looks amazing, Kim! And I'll never turn down anything that was made with red wine!! It looks so moist and delicious!
Kim Lange says
You have to try it! It's awesome!! 😉
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
I got a whole wine fridge full of red wine!! I totally need to make this! Pinning!
Catherine says
This looks and sounds amazing!! What a wonderful idea to use red wine, I would devour this cake!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
OMG I need a slice of this in front of me right now! It looks perfect!