(This recipe for Red Wine Cupcakes was originally published in May 2009, but was updated with new photos and content in 2019).
RED WINE CUPCAKES RECIPE
To start, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake tins with cupcake papers. In a heatproof bowl combine cocoa powder and chocolate chips and pour in the boiling water. Using a whisk, stir the chocolate until it's all melted. It's going to be difficult for you to not grab a spoon here!
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Then beat in each egg one at a time until combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then slowly add that to the chocolate mixture making sure it's all combined, but taking care not to over-mix.
Pop those in the oven for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for a couple minutes before moving to baking racks to cool completely.
Red Wine Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cups fruity red wine (like merlot, red zinfandel, or pinot noir)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 Tbsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
- Combine cocoa powder and chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl and pour in the boiling water. Let sit for one minute before using a whisk to stir the chocolate until it’s melted and smooth.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well blended.
- In a separate medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.
- Add half the chocolate mixture and half the wine and blend until just combined. Add the rest of the chocolate and the rest of the wine and blend again until just combined.
- Fill cupcake papers about ¾ of the way full (I like to use a cookie scoop to fill). Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool for a couple minutes in pan before moving to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cupcakes once they're completely cooled. Top with sprinkles if desired.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in vanilla and salt.
- Add confectioners' sugar one cup at a time until completely combined.
- If you want some color to your frosting, add a couple drops of food coloring or gel in and blend well.
Jen says
Red wine, chocolate and cream cheese frosting---you've outdone yourself! And, they are gorgeous!
Sara says
these were AWESOME. i think the texture of the cake was the best part of them. they were like velvet!
Kelly says
Yum. Wine plus chocolate sounds fabulous. Do these have a subtle chocolate flavor like a red velvet or is it a stronger chocolate flavor?
Joan says
Red wine is ALWAYS good! I will try these.
RebeccaC says
What an intriguing idea...and heart healthy too with all the red wine and chocolate...right?
Susan says
WOW, I was beginning to think they were a myth. I can't wait to try to make them.
RecipeGirl says
It's like beer bread (kinda). Love the idea... fun for a party, definitely. Your display is so cute too 🙂
toni says
This is amazing! And it's the first time I've heard of using wine in cupcakes. I bet they tasted really phenomenal 🙂
Cupcake Vineyards Wine says
We think this recipe sounds amazing, and we have just the wine! Would you mind if we post your recipe on our Blog when we get up in running?
Shannon says
I made these for a picnic yesterday and someone told me they were "to die for". They came out SO good! I used chocolate icing, which gave them a little bit more of what I call a 'chocolate hangover', but they were delish!!
Jessica says
I made these a few weeks ago and they were so fabulous that I came back to your website to find the recipe again. Without a doubt the best cupcake recipe I've ever made.
d says
delicious! definitely a crowd pleaser. i added some wine into the icing as well which gave it a nice color. i added a bit more cream cheese to thicken it back up. fantastic! thanks.
Teri [a foodie stays fit] says
These are SO delicious! I'm making them for the 2nd time right now!
Robert Nabors says
I used a Moscato Rosé instead of Shiraz it is a little sweeter than Shiraz. Also, I added an Black Berry purée to the icing...delicious! It blends so well with the Moscato Rosé!
Emily says
I tried these, and they were great! I also tried this same recipe but used Kahlua instead of red wine!! AWESOME!
Lynne says
I made these for wine club and they were a big hit. I used chopped dark chocolate instead of the chocolate chips. Delicious!
Arielle says
I love this recipe. I keep going back to it again and again. My latest favorite incarnation for this recipe is cake balls. Because it's not a super sweet recipe you don't go into sugar shock when you cover the cake balls with chocolate.
Mary-Joy says
Wow!! I just had to make these when I saw the receipe. They are AMAZING!!! Thank you!! x
Kristin says
These are soo moist and good! Only problem is they were flaky on the top making them difficult to frost and look good. They are not the prettiest but taste so yummy!
Aimee says
I just made these and, as everybody has said, they taste awesome! Just one word of caution...when I added the red wine (even in very small amounts) and turned on my mixer it went EVERYWHERE. Not good. I ended up adding the wine by folding it in with a spatula.
Rosemary says
These cupcakes are really good, but I use a different frosting recipe that has Red Wine in it. 1/2c butter, 1/2c veg. shortening, 3c pwdr sugar, 1/4c red wine reduction, 1/2t vanilla, 1T milk Take about 1/2-3/4c of red wine and bring to a boil until reduced by half. Cool. Cream the butter and shortening, add powd sugar, using the red wine as needed. Add vanilla and the milk, Beat till fluffy, around 5 min.
Erica says
I've made these two or three times now and they're delicious...a wonderfully lethal combination of red wine, chocolate, and cream cheese frosting.
Larry says
I used dessert wine, specifically port, in both the batter and the frosting and it came out awesome. I also subbed the chocolate chips for 70% Honduran dark chocolate. Thanks for sharing.