I've been looking for the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe to pair with red wine and after testing and combining a few different recipes, I finally came up with one that I love. Behold the Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes!
(If you don't print the recipe today, be sure to at least Pin it so that you can find it later!)
I don't think I have ever had a wine and chocolate that paired better together. Because I served the cupcakes with the same wine I used in the cupcakes (one of the wines from my WSJ Wine Club shipment), they were a perfect match. There is not too much wine in the cupcakes, so the taste is subtle but then enhanced when you have the wine with it. I also included a few of the dark chocolate pieces on the plate with the wine and cupcake and that added to the dessert even more.
Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes
- Cupcakes
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or 2 oz dark chocolate broken into small pieces)
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup red wine (Chianti or Shiraz work best)
- Frosting:
- 1/2 C butter, room temperature
- Salt, pinch
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 2 1/2-3 C confectioner's sugar
- 1 T vanilla
- Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line muffin tin with liners and spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium heatproof bowl, combine cocoa powder and dark chocolate pieces/chips. Whisk in the boiling water until it’s all melted.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in each egg one at a time until blended.
- Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Alternate adding some of the chocolate to the mixture, then some of the wine, until all of it is blended.
- Fill muffin tins at least half full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
- Frosting:
- Beat the butter with the salt until it’s fluffy.
- Add the cream cheese and continue beating until combined.
- Add the vanilla and blend.
- Add confectioner's sugar half a cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
If your friends are chocolate fans but not red wine fans, they will still enjoy the cupcake by itself or with a glass of milk. It is definitely a rich cupcake. I used a cream cheese frosting because it is my favorite but you could just as easily substitute buttercream. I also made the frosting from scratch but you could use a jar frosting and it would be fine. The recipe makes 12 but I should have doubled it to make 24 because we ran out so quickly!
Do you have a favorite dessert recipe that pairs well with wine? Is there one you would like us to try for you?
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