Red Wine Cake with Cinnamon and Chocolate
by meike peters
This is the cake of my late teenage years, made with red wine, bittersweet chocolate chunks and cinnamon. It’s spongy, juicy and so rich in taste! My friends and I were obsessed with it, we baked it for every possible occasion. That’s a while ago now and I’ve since moved on to other great cakes but today I thought it’s time again: pink cake for the weekend!
I must say it was yesterday that this idea came to mind. I baked it and was surprised by the cakes texture until I noticed that I didn’t put in the right amount of wine – I mixed up milliliters and cups on my measuring cup and put in far too little red wine. The cake turned out much too dry and hard on the outside. I was confused at first, wondering if the memory was sweetened by time but I remembered this cake so soft and juicy that I knew I must have mixed up the recipe (I even questioned my oven’s reliability for a second). Today I got my second chance and my pink cake turned out as pretty and delicious as I remembered it!
Red Wine Cake with Chocolate and Cinnamon
For 1 loaf tin, about 23cm x 10cm / 9″ x 4″, you need
butter 250g / 9 ounces
sugar 250g / 9 ounces
organic eggs 4
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
baking powder 3 teaspoons
cocoa powder 3 teaspoons
cinnamon, ground, 2 teaspoons
a pinch of salt
red wine 125ml
bittersweet chocolate, chopped, 100g / 3.5 ounces
For the icing:
icing sugar (100g / 3.5 ounces) mixed with red wine or water (3-4 tablespoons)
Set your oven to 165°C / 330°F (fan-assisted oven). Butter your loaf tin and dust with flour.
Combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar). Mix the butter together with the sugar till fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing for a couple minutes. Add the dry ingredients and the red wine and mix until smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate and scoop into your prepared tin. Bake for 65 minutes or until golden. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean, and let it cool. Spread the icing sugar on top of the cake to finish its pink glory.
Hello Meike,
what kind of red wine do you recommend for the cake? For me, red wine is often to “sour” – it’s not my fav in general – so I am wondering what to pick? Then I’m not sure if a deep sewwt red wine would be too much.. can you help, please?
Thanks!
Good morning,
I always use wines for this recipe that aren’t too pricy but that I also like so much that I would drink them. I often go for Italian wines as I have a weak spot for them but I wouldn’t mind using a round French either.
Enjoy!
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Beautiful recipe! The glaze looks wonderful, I will definitely try it!
Thanks Viviana! The glaze is very aromatic, I’m so happy I remembered this recipe! Please let me know how it worked out.
Meike xx
Beautiful! I love the pink glaze too
Thank you Sarah! It was lots of fun and it tastes so good!