Mulled Wine Cake

5.0
(2)
2 Reviews
3 Photos

This mulled wine cake, wonderfully tender and moist, begins with a dead simple cake batter. Mulled wine—which goes into the batter, the icing, and an optional mulled wine syrup— brings an acidity that goes well with warm holiday spices. If you like flavor, and you are a fan of the annual glass of mulled wine, I really think you will love this cake.

By
John Mitzewich
Chef John
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques.
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Updated on November 20, 2023
3
round mulled wine cake on glass cake plate with drizzled pink icing and purple pansy garnish
3
3
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
40 mins
Cool Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 50 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
1 10-inch cake
Jump to Nutrition Facts

It’s strange developing a recipe that uses a signature ingredient you really don’t like, and this holiday-themed mulled wine cake is the latest example. To say I’m not a fan of mulled wine would be an understatement. First of all, I never, under any circumstances, want to drink hot wine. I even like my regular red wine chilled a bit before service, so the thought of drinking a steaming cup of spiced red wine doesn’t interest me in the least. But, as I happily found out, using mulled wine in the batter produced one of the more delicious spice cakes I’ve ever tasted. 

 This is loosely based on a German red wine cake called, “rotweinkuchen,” which I sort of mashed up with our famous gingerbread cake recipe, and I loved the results. By the way, even if you don’t make the cake, do yourself a big favor the next time you need to whip up an icing, and do it using some spiced red wine. Besides the gorgeous color, the flavor is shockingly good, and I’ll be using that trick again. Having said that, the pairing of this cake and icing was a match made in heaven, which is why I really do hope you give both a try soon. Enjoy! 

More recipes: Try the latest and greatest recipes from Chef John!

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

Mulled Wine:

  • 1 1/4 cups red wine

  • 4 whole star anise pods

  • 8 whole cloves

  • 6 allspice berries

  • 2 tablespoons brandy

Cake Batter:

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons cocoa

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup white sugar

  • 2 tablespoons orange zest

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

  • 2/3 cup hot mulled wine

Icing:

  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons cooled mulled wine, or as needed

Mulled Wine Syrup (optional):

  • 1 cup mulled wine

  • 1 cup white sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Generously oil a 10-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.

  2. Combine red wine, star anise, cloves, allspice berries, and brandy in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer gently for 15 minutes. Reserve 2/3 cup hot mulled wine for the cake batter, and set aside the remaining mulled wine to cool completely.

    Chef's Note:

    If you plan to make the optional wine syrup, begin by making a double recipe of mulled wine, so that you will have enough to make the wine syrup later.

  3. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, brown sugar, and white sugar in a bowl. Add zest, oil, and eggs. Use a fork or whisk to stir together until flour disappears.

  4. Whisk in reserved 2/3 cup hot mulled wine until a smooth, shiny batter forms; transfer into the prepared cake pan. Tap on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.

  5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, but begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out virtually clean. The cake may take a few minutes longer, depending on your oven.

  6. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and remove the parchment. Cool cake completely on the wire rack.

  7. Whisk confectioner’s sugar with 3 to 4 tablespoons cooled mulled wine together in a small bowl until you have a smooth, pourable icing. If icing is too thin, add a little more confectioner’s sugar; if too thick, add a little more wine. Drizzle icing over the cake using the whisk, waving it back and forth and letting the icing fall onto the cake in any pattern you want.

  8. For the optional wine syrup, bring 1 cup mulled wine and 1 cup white sugar to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cool completely and chill before using.

    round mulled wine cake on glass cake plate with drizzled pink icing and purple pansy garnish

    Chef John

    Chef's Note:

    For more wine flavor, you can drizzle some wine syrup over the cake while still warm, before icing, as a soak. And/or you can also, after icing, pour a small amount of wine syrup over plated slices of cake. And wine syrup can be served on the side to be poured over at the table. It's up to you.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

517 Calories
15g Fat
78g Carbs
5g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 517
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15g 20%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 340mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 78g 28%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 53g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin C 5mg 6%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 3mg 14%
Potassium 167mg 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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