Mulled Wine Cake

Mulled Wine Cake is an old-fashioned German dessert perfect for cold fall and winter days. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea, or make a larger batch of mulled wine.

The light and airy cake is made of a chocolate and spiced wine blend and finished with sugar and white wine icing.

Ingredient Notes

Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.

For Mulled Wine

RED WINE – This is where you can put your spin on this recipe and work with what you have. I like to use a good Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Red Zinfandel. You don’t have to use expensive wine, but I also wouldn’t use cooking wine.

RUM – Again, I typically use what I have on hand, which is mostly Bacardi. But you can also experiment with adding a splash of Amaretto. It goes well with the other spices.

ORANGE – Whenever I use zest or peel and juice, I try to find organic oranges. Be sure to also give it a really good scrub before using it.

SPICES – Cinnamon is a must. For this recipe, use a cinnamon stick (instead of ground cinnamon). Besides cinnamon, you’ll also want to add cloves (again, not ground). You can use star anise as well. I didn’t have any, and anise isn’t one of my favorite flavors, so I don’t include it in the recipe.

SUGAR – My family has always added sugar to our Glühwein (mulled wine), but you can experiment with other sweeteners, too.

CHOCOLATE – Semi-sweet chocolate works best. I typically use chocolate chips.

BUTTER – If you’re a regular reader, you hear me preach about this all the time. I always recommend using unsalted butter for all of your baking and cooking.

SUGAR – Granulated sugar is perfect for this recipe. I’ve gravitated more and more to buying unbleached organic sugar, so it’s a little less refined and more environmentally friendly. But from a baking point of view, it’s the same sugar as plain white sugar.

EGGS – I use large or extra eggs. And yes, quite a few in this recipe add to the richness of this beautiful seasonal cake.

FLOUR – It’s an easy recipe; regular all-purpose flour will work fine.

LEAVENING RAISING AGENT – I like baking powder and, of course, a dash of salt for this cake recipe.

VANILLA – There are a few core ingredients in my cooking and baking that I will pay extra for. Pure vanilla extract is one of them.
Vanilla is similar to salt in that it enhances all other ingredients. But what if you don’t have any on hand? Yes, you can leave it out; it won’t destroy the recipe’s integrity, but like salt, a little goes a long way.

SUGAR – Yes, more sugar! For the icing, we’ll need some powdered sugar.

LEMON – We’ll use a tiny bit of a lemon for the white layer of the icing.

How To A Make Mulled Wine Cake

1. Combine wine, rum, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain mulled wine through a sieve. Cover and set aside.

1. Add chocolate chips to a food processor and blend until they look like bread crumbs. Set aside. (You can also add them to a zip lock bag and crush the chocolate with a rolling pin.)
2. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat at medium speed.
4. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until well combined.
5. Add mulled wine and beat on low speed. Fold in chopped chocolate.
6. Pour the mixture into the bundt cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool. Leave to cool completely.
7. ICING – In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
   • OPTIONAL – In a small separate bowl, combine a few tablespoons of powdered sugar with a couple of teaspoons of red wine. Whisk till smooth. Drizzle the red wine over the white ice. It’ll add an extra boost of flavor and look pretty, too.
8. Drizzle icing over the Mulled Wine Cake. Serve and enjoy.

Leftovers

The best way to store Mulled Wine Cake is to cover it in a cake pan with a lid or in an airtight container. It can be kept covered at room temperature for 4-5 days.

Freezing Mulled Wine Cake

• You can freeze the entire cake. If you do, don’t add any icing. Wrap the Mulled Wine Cake first with a layer of plastic wrap. Then, wrap the cake again with aluminum foil. The cake will last for up to three months in the freezer. Don’t forget to date the cake when you freeze it.
• You can also freeze individual slices of cake using the same double-wrap procedure. If you do that, I suggest icing the cake after defrosting it.
• When it’s time to defrost the Mulled Wine Cake, allow it in the fridge. Once thawed, remove it from the fridge and allow it to rise to room temperature.
• Make a quick frosting and drizzle it over the cake.