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Okay, I need to be honest about something. When I first heard about putting wine in chocolate cake, I was skeptical. Like, really skeptical. But after testing this single-layer red wine chocolate cake recipe about twenty times for my upcoming cookbook Baked & Buzzed (someone had to eat all those test cakes!), I'm completely sold. The wine doesn't overpower anything or make it taste like you're eating a boozy dessert. Instead, it creates this incredible depth and richness that makes regular chocolate cake seem flat by comparison. You get these subtle fruity and spicy notes that make people think you went to pastry school or something.
What I love most about this recipe is how deceptively simple it is. You literally whisk dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another, combine them, and bake. No creaming butter for five minutes, no complicated steps, no mixer required. The red wine chocolate ganache sounds intimidating, but it's basically just melted chocolate and cream with a splash of wine - even beginners can nail it. And if ganache isn't your thing, my chocolate fudge buttercream makes an equally delicious topping that's super straightforward to make.
This moist chocolate cake recipe is perfect for dinner parties, birthdays, or honestly just a random weekday when you want something special. It's one of those desserts that looks and tastes like you're some kind of baking genius, but really you just followed a simple recipe and let the wine do all the heavy lifting!
Single-Layer Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Red Wine Chocolate Cake:
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 73 g light brown sugar
- 35 g unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 156 g all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 103 g vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (~100 g), room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 210 g red wine see Ingredient Tip
For the Red Wine Chocolate Ganache:
- 80 g red wine
- 80 g heavy cream
- 5 g unsweetened natural or Dutch process cocoa powder
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 99 g 56% cacao semisweet chocolate finely chopped
- 28 g unsalted butter softened
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
To Make the Red Wine Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8–inch (20–cm) cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper. The parchment paper helps the cake release seamlessly from the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside the bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, vanilla, and red wine until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk until the ingredients are just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 35-37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs attached, see Notes. Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
To Make the Red Wine Chocolate Ganache:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the wine, heavy cream, cocoa powder, and sugar until they come to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the chocolate, butter, and salt until combined. The ganache will thicken as it cools; stick it in the fridge for an hour or two until thick enough to frost the cake. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Suzanne Ledet
Rich and delicious, my new favorite chocolate cake!
I think the amount of salt is not listed in the ingredient list for the cake. I used 1/2 teaspoon.
Mike Johnson
So glad to hear that! & thanks for catching that!! 1/2 tsp is the right amount 😀
Jan
Instruction for mixing cake mentions baking soda, which is not listed in the ingredient list.
Mike Johnson
Thanks so much for catching that, Jan - you're absolutely right! I've since updated the ingredients list to include the baking soda (1 tsp). Really appreciate you taking the time to point that out - it helps make the recipe better for everyone! 😊