I’ll admit: when I first heard about adding red wine to chocolate cake I was doubtful. After testing this single-layer red wine chocolate cake recipe repeatedly for my cookbook, I changed my mind. The wine doesn’t make the cake taste overly boozy; instead it deepens the chocolate flavor and adds subtle fruity and spicy notes that lift the whole dessert. The result is a richer, more interesting chocolate cake that feels far more sophisticated than its simple method suggests.
What makes this recipe great for home bakers is how straightforward it is. You whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another, combine, and bake—no creaming, no stand mixer required. The red wine chocolate ganache is equally approachable: cream, wine, cocoa, sugar, and chopped chocolate heated and stirred until smooth, then chilled until thick enough to spread. If you prefer, a simple chocolate fudge buttercream is a tasty alternative.
This moist chocolate cake is perfect for celebrations, dinner parties, or a cozy weeknight treat. It looks and tastes like something from a bakery, but it’s built on an easy formula that anyone can follow—let the wine do the heavy lifting.
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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:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8–inch (20–cm) cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and grease the parchment as well so the cake releases easily.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated and brown sugars, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and red wine until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 35–37 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Red Wine Chocolate Ganache:
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the red wine, heavy cream, cocoa powder, and sugar and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it simmer 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and salt until smooth. Chill the ganache in the refrigerator for an hour or two until it thickens enough to spread. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4–5 days.
Notes
Ingredient Tip: Use your favorite red wine; merlot, pinot noir, or cabernet all work well and will subtly affect the flavor.
Make-Ahead: You can bake the cake ahead: wrap the cooled layer tightly and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before frosting.
Storage: Cover leftover cake and refrigerate up to 5 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Alcohol-free option: Replace red wine in both the cake and ganache with red grape juice or pomegranate juice for a nonalcoholic version.