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Home » Recipes » Courses » Desserts » Cake

Red Wine Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Published: Oct 11, 2017 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Jan 28, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

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slice of red wine chocolate cake with glass of red wine
Red Wine Strawberry Chocolate Fudge Cake- foodmeanderings.com

I'm a little cake crazy - I LUV cake! I mean, who doesn't? What other food symbolizes celebration like cake does? Cake is there for every celebratory milestone from your baby shower, through your graduation and wedding all the way up to your golden anniversary. And let's not forget all those birthdays in between!

red wine chocolate cake on a white plate in front, with whole red wine chocolate cake in background (with piece missing)

This red wine chocolate cake is a whipped creamy mascarpone strawberry kirsch filling is sandwiched between luscious red wine fudgy chocolate cake, all encased in a rich red wine dark chocolate ganache with ganache dipped strawberries on top. And best yet, there is no fancy decorating required! If you are looking for birthday cake recipes for adults or a Valentine's day cake for your sweetheart, this cake is the ultimate adult birthday cake!

Jump to:
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 👪 SERVING
  • 🍽 EQUIPMENT
  • 🌡️STORING
  • ⭐ Reviews
  • 📋Red Wine Strawberry Chocolate Cake
  • 🎂More Adult Birthday Cake Ideas

And I love to create cakes...But I have to tell you guys, this cake is one of the best ones I have ever created. I don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but by this point, I KNOW A GREAT CAKE.

And that's because I've been making and decorating cakes for over 20 years. And believe me, you will want to find any excuse to celebrate with this decadent and delectable Red Wine Chocolate Strawberry Cake. If you are looking for adult birthday cake ideas, you'll love this one!

🥘 Ingredients

For this chocolate cake with strawberry filling and chocolate ganache, you'll need:

  • all- purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • brown sugar
  • unsalted butter
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • applesauce (unsweetened)
  • sour cream
  • boiling water
  • red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz)
  • baker's semi-sweet chocolate baking bar
  • white granulated sugar
  • kirsch
  • whipping cream
  • strawberries
  • mascarpone cheese
  • dark Swiss chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
  • powdered sugar

*see recipe card for quantities

Whole red wine chocolate strawberry cake on a white platter with a glass of red wine in the background

I used to work at a place where you had to bring your own birthday cake in on your birthday. I thought that was a pretty awesome policy; you get what you like and it saves everyone else the hassle. So, one year when I was very much into elaborately decorated fondant character cakes,  I made this wine shaped cake. The entire thing is edible - the bottle was made out of fondant and painted with confectioners glaze to make it shiny. Then I made the "Mommy Juice" label and had it printed on a frosting sheet. "Mommy Juice" is what my BFF and I used to call wine when my kids were little so they would not keep asking to drink it and we could actually enjoy drinking it. This chocolate wine cake was special and it was tasty, but decorating this cake took me too many hours to count.

Wine bottle birthday cake

Then I started making my BFF the same types of character birthday cakes every year and it became a tradition. I also did them for my husband and my kids. Every year. And sometimes I'd make 2 or 3 for each kid's birthday. One for their 'real birthday', one for the party and one for daycare. I made these 2 birthday cakes and these birthday cupcakes for my daughter's 4th birthday:

I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y

Nowadays, I think that's waaay to much work, plus my focus has shifted to the inside of the cake.

So when I told my BFF that I wasn't going to do elaborately decorated cakes anymore and asked her if she wanted a chocolate red wine cake or Butter Tart Cake for her birthday, it was no surprise when she picked the chocolate red wine cake. And this, my friends, was the result!

Red Wine Chocolate Strawberry cake top view with glass of red wine in the background

It turned out amazing! So, if you are looking to make a red wine cake recipe with glaze and you are not a cake decorator, this is THE ONE! There is no fancy decorating required. You simply pour on the glaze, it begins to harden, making it easy to smooth with a spatula.

👪 SERVING

This cake serves 12 (large slices).

🍽 EQUIPMENT

You will need a stand or hand mixer and a double boiler or microwave to melt chocolate.

🌡️STORING

You need to store this cake in the fridge, as it has a perishable filling. Cake dries out quite quickly in the fridge, so you're going to want to keep it in a sealed cake container  (affiliate link). And once you cut it, be sure to cover the exposed area with plastic wrap. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Slice of red wine chocolate strawberry cake on a white plate with glass of red wine in the background

So why not celebrate your wine lover's birthday in style -without the elaborate decorating?! Because all those birthdays between the graduations, weddings and baby showers are also celebratory milestones and deserve a special cake too!

⭐ Reviews

Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

Please SUBSCRIBE  (get my FREE E-cookbook) and be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

Red Wine Chocolate Strawberry cake top view with glass of red wine in the background
Food Meandering Logo

📋Red Wine Strawberry Chocolate Cake

This decadent Red Wine Strawberry Chocolate Cake cake is the ultimate adult birthday cake! A whipped creamy mascarpone strawberry kirsch filling is sandwiched between luscious red wine chocolate cake, all encased in a rich red wine dark chocolate ganache with ganache dipped strawberries on top.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian, North American
Keyword: Chocolate cake, red wine, strawberry
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 1099kcal
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour flour
  • 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups brown sugar
  • ¾ cup butter softened
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 4.5 squares (ounces) Bakers semi sweet Chocolate melted ** not chocolate chips!
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cup sour cream
  • ⅓ cup boiling water
  • ¾ cup red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz

Filling:

  • 1 ¼ cups mascarpone cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 tablespoon granulated sugar add sweetness to liking
  • 3 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon kirsch
  • ⅔ cup strawberries hulled and finely chopped

Red Wine Chocolate Glaze:

  • 454 grams dark swiss chocolate (at least 70 % cocoa) 16 oz
  • 2 cup butter (unsalted)
  • 1 cup red wine Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 4 tablespoon powdered sugar a.k.a. icing sugar

Garnish:

  • 6 strawberries whole, hulled
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Red Wine Chocolate Cake:

  • Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  • Cream butter. Gradually add brown sugar and continue beating for 5 minutes.
  • Melt chocolate in microwave on ½ power (5 on my microwave) for 60 seconds, then remove and stir. If it needs more time, put back in for 20 second intervals, removing and stirring until just melted.
     **Do not get any water/liquid near chocolate or it will seize.
    *If you are more comfortable using a double boiler to melt your chocolate you can do that. 
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add applesauce, then vanilla and  melted chocolate.
  • Alternately blend in flour mixture and sour cream, one third at a time, on low speed of electric mixer.
  • Add boiling water and red wine; blend well. (Batter will be thin.) 
    Pour into three greased and floured (I used Wilton Cake Release to prevent sticking) 8 inches layer pans to about ⅔ full. 
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on racks.
  • When cake is cool, slice 'humps off cakes' to even out.

Mascarpone Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling:

  • Beat whipping cream to soft peaks, then add granulated sugar and beat to stiff peaks.
  • Stir in mascarpone cheese until blended, then add vanilla and kirsch. Fold in strawberries. Set aside in fridge. 
  • When ready, fill cake with mascarpone strawberry whipped cream filling between the first and second cakes, then between the second and third. Top with third cake.

Red Wine Chocolate Glaze/Ganache:

  • Melt chocolate in microwave on ½ power (5 on my microwave) for 60 seconds, then remove and stir. If it needs more time, put back in for 20 second intervals, removing and stirring until just melted. 
  • Melt butter in microwave until liquid (check at 45 seconds and add more time if needed) Stir melted butter into chocolate. 
  • Meanwhile, bring wine just to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat.
  • Whisk wine and powdered sugar into chocolate butter mixture. You need to move quickly, as the glaze will begin to set. 
  • Set filled cake on a wire rack set over pparchment Pour glaze over cake and spread it across the top and over the edges and begin to smooth with an offset spatula. Let cake stand at room temperature and smooth again. Then refrigerate  until glaze is set (15 - 20 minutes)

Garnish:

  • Dip each strawberry halfway into remaining glaze/ganache and set on parchment paper to harden. You can put them into the fridge to speed up the process
  • Pipe a little whipped cream on the spot where you plan to place strawberries on cake and add 6-8 strawberries. Pipe some whipped cream around the bottom of the cake, if desired (optional)

Notes

👪 Serving
This cake serves 12 (large slices).
🍽 Equipment
You will need a stand or hand mixer and a double boiler or microwave to melt chocolate.
🌡️Storing
You need to store this cake in the fridge, as it has a perishable filling. Cake dries out quite quickly in the fridge, so you're going to want to keep it in a sealed cake container  (affiliate link). And once you cut it, be sure to cover the exposed area with plastic wrap. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
My Amazon Recommendations (affiliate links)

NOTE: I buy a 454 g container of strawberries and that is enough
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 1099kcal (55%) | Carbohydrates: 104g (35%) | Protein: 12g (24%) | Fat: 64g (98%) | Saturated Fat: 51g (319%) | Cholesterol: 260mg (87%) | Sodium: 945mg (41%) | Potassium: 289mg (8%) | Fiber: 3g (13%) | Sugar: 66g (73%) | Vitamin A: 2635IU (53%) | Vitamin C: 8.7mg (11%) | Calcium: 181mg (18%) | Iron: 2.4mg (13%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Rate this Recipe

🎂More Adult Birthday Cake Ideas

  • Chocolate (Genoise)Italian Sponge Cake with berries
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Torte with Raspberry Curd Filling & White Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
  • White Chocolate Pistachio Cake with Pistachio Pudding Filling
  • Root Beer Float Cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colleen Milne

    October 13, 2017 at 8:55 am

    This cake is stunning. And the flavours of red wine with chocolate are perfect. Love all your other creative cakes, too!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      October 13, 2017 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Colleen - thank you!

      Reply
  2. Suki hari

    October 13, 2017 at 11:41 am

    Wow Gorgeous!!! 🙂 Lovely recipe!!!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      October 13, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      Thank you, Suki!

      Reply
  3. Charlotte | Sweet Sundays

    October 13, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    You made some amazing-looking cakes!! I agree that cakes scream celebration so I've started to make them more and more. I think at first I was intimidated by big cake creations but the more I practice the more confident I become and the more visually appealing my cakes are!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      October 14, 2017 at 8:10 pm

      Hi Charlotte- Thanks! Yes, many cakes are definitely "projects". But if you take them one step at a time, they aren't so overwhelming 🙂
      Happy caking!

      Reply
  4. Lori

    October 14, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    I am going to bring this cake to work for my birthday. I like the policy too. Oh, and I work from home.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      October 14, 2017 at 10:20 pm

      Haha sounds like an excellent policy and birthday plan for your workplace, Lori!

      Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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