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!
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!
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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
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.
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!
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.
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!
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📋Red Wine Strawberry Chocolate Cake
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
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
NOTE: I buy a 454 g container of strawberries and that is enough
Colleen Milne
This cake is stunning. And the flavours of red wine with chocolate are perfect. Love all your other creative cakes, too!
Terri Gilson
Hi Colleen - thank you!
Suki hari
Wow Gorgeous!!! 🙂 Lovely recipe!!!
Terri Gilson
Thank you, Suki!
Charlotte | Sweet Sundays
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!
Terri Gilson
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!
Lori
I am going to bring this cake to work for my birthday. I like the policy too. Oh, and I work from home.
Terri Gilson
Haha sounds like an excellent policy and birthday plan for your workplace, Lori!