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Red Wine Chocolate Cake

The BEST Red Wine Chocolate Cake you’ll ever try! Leftover Cabernet adds body that perfectly complements the rich, fudge-y flavor of this decadent vegan cake. Wine-soaked raspberries and coconut whipped cream make this red wine chocolate cake the perfect dessert for any occasion.

slice of red wine chocolate cake topped with raspberries and white whipped cream next to a stemless red wine glass

What kind of red wine should you use in cake?

A full bodied, not-too-sweet wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot will work well in a chocolate cake recipe. These wine’s high acidity and tannins will hold their own against a sugary base. They will also nicely complementing a cake’s naturally high level of fat.

Why You’ll Love this Red Wine Chocolate Cake

  • Using wine as a liquid to add the perfect amount of moistness while insuring your cake does not dry out. Butter-based cakes tend to lose moisture quickly, so this cake uses melted coconut oil.
  • Chocolate and red wine are flavors that pair naturally very well, so they make a perfect pair in this decadent dessert.
  • We top the cake with coconut cream and macerated raspberries (this just means they’re soaked in a red wine sugar mixture for even more flavor).

slice of vegan chocolate cake with glass of red wine in background

How To Store Vegan Chocolate Cake

In generally, baked desserts will dry out pretty quickly in the fridge. If possible I recommend that you store this cake unfrosted and wrapped on the counter for up to five days. Here is a helpful article that goes into more detail.

I hope you enjoy this red wine chocolate cake recipe! This yields one 9-inch cake.

If you like making cakes, try this Vegan Olive Oil Cake recipe next.

Interested in other chocolate desserts? Try one of these next:

white plate with cake and a silver fork inserted

Print
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slice of vegan red wine chocolate cake with a silver fork

Red Wine Chocolate Cake


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 slices 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

The BEST chocolate cake you’ll ever try! Leftover red wine adds body that perfectly complements the rich, fudge-y flavor of this decadent vegan cake. Wine-soaked raspberries and coconut whipped cream make this red wine chocolate cake the perfect dessert for any occasion.


Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder (dutch process if you have it)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 TBS white vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Raspberry Topping

  • 1 container raspberries
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 TBS sugar, powdered ideally but granulated also works
  • Whipped cream of choice

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper (cutting a circular shape in the paper will help with this).
  2. Add your flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt to a large bowl and combine until no clumps remain. Add red wine, water, melted oil, vinegar, and vanilla to a small bowl. Combine wet with dry and mix until no dry parts remain (try not to over mix). Pour batter into lined cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. Check at this point to see if an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If there are minimal crumbs sticking to the pin, your cake is done! If your cake seems loose or wet on top, bake for a few more minutes and test again. Let cool fully in the pan (until no longer warm to the touch) and invert onto a plate.
  3. While your cake is cooling, begin preparing your toppings. Add red wine and sugar to a sealed container and shake to combine. Add raspberries and let soak for at least 15 minutes to soak up flavor.
  4. Slice your cake and serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream and soaked raspberries.

Notes

Nutritional info is for cake base only

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
  • Calories: 293 calories
  • Sugar: 13.4 grams
  • Sodium: 154 milligrams
  • Fat: 14.2 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 11.6 grams
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2.6 grams
  • Trans Fat: 0 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 34 grams
  • Fiber: 2 grams
  • Protein: 3.2 grams
  • Cholesterol: 0 milligrams

Portrait of Emily Meyers, founder of Garlic Head

About the Author

Emily (Frigon) Meyers is the founder of Garlic Head, a plant-based recipe website for all eaters who want to easily, affordably, and sustainably incorporate more vegetables into their diets while saving time and money. She is a lifelong vegetarian and 10+ year vegan. Garlic Head does not focus on labels - it focuses on creating food that everyone can enjoy.

Emily earned a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University along with degrees in Economics, Spanish, and Global Sustainability from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been featured on numerous podcasts and websites including The Food Institute, VegNews, Buzzfeed, and the Boston Globe.

Meet Emily here.

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Comments

  1. Sarah says

    I made this for a family get-together and it was a hit! I couldn’t believe how moist and delicious it was and I’m not even a huge cake person! So easy to make, too, which I appreciated. I’ll be saving this recipe. Thank you for posting, Emily.






    • Emily says

      Hey Nikki! Great question and yes, I would reduce the bake time to 25-35 minutes to start, and then test for doneness. Thank you for asking! — Emily

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