If there’s one cake that belongs to the fall and winter months, it’s this moist red wine cake: deeply chocolaty and tender, studded with almonds and spiced with cinnamon, and rounded out by a touch of red wine. The scent while it bakes is enough to make the season feel cosier.
Taste and Occasion
This red wine chocolate cake keeps the method simple. The batter combines basic cake ingredients with cocoa, cinnamon (or gingerbread spice for a festive touch), chocolate chips and a splash of red wine. I like to add some ground almonds to the flour for extra moisture and a delicate nutty flavor—ground hazelnuts work well too.
Ingredients
This cake works equally well in a small bundt pan or a loaf pan. If you bake it in a loaf pan, increase all ingredients by about one third depending on the pan size. During the pre-Christmas season I sometimes swap cinnamon for gingerbread spice for an even more seasonal aroma.
If you enjoy fruit in cakes, you can turn this into a red wine, chocolate and cherry cake by folding in 150 g of drained jarred cherries. Toss the cherries in a little flour first so they don’t sink in the batter.
How to make the Red Wine Cake
Grease your pan and, if you like, dust it lightly with ground almonds. Chill the pan briefly while you preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cream the soft butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, cocoa and cinnamon.
Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the red wine, stirring briefly but thoroughly each time so the batter stays smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 45 minutes. Check doneness with a skewer or chopstick — it should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. Let the cake cool in the pan, then turn it out and finish with melted chocolate or a glaze if desired.
Top Tip
If you’re using a larger pan or a loaf pan, increase all ingredients by roughly one third. As an experiment I once used cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips when I ran out of chocolate—since nibs don’t melt they stay pleasantly crunchy and create a nice contrast in texture.
Recipe Card
Red Wine Cake
20
45
245kcal
Equipment
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1 Small Pan (approx. 8 in / 20 cm)
Ingredients
For the batter
- 180 grams (⅘ cup) butter, soft
- 110 grams (½ cup) brown sugar, or regular white sugar
- 3 eggs, medium
- 200 grams (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- 60 grams (½ cup) ground almonds, or other nuts
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or gingerbread spice
- 60 grams (⅓ cup) dark chocolate chips
- 100 milliliters (about 7 tablespoons) red wine
For coating
- 100 grams (⅖ cup) dark chocolate coating
Instructions
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Grease the pan and dust lightly with ground almonds if desired. Chill briefly and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Beat the soft butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. In another bowl combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, cocoa and cinnamon.
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Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the red wine, mixing briefly until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the top.
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Bake for about 45 minutes, testing with a skewer. Let cool in the pan before turning out. Finish with melted chocolate or glaze if desired.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
This cake is ideal for cozy autumn baking. Try the version with cherries for a fruity twist, or switch the chocolate coating for a simple dusting of powdered sugar. If you enjoy similar flavors, recipes such as chocolate spice cake, apple crumble cake, or salted caramel muffins also make great seasonal treats.
