Red Wine Chocolate Mini Layer Cakes
What goes better with chocolate cake than red wine? Nothing! These mini layer cakes are coated with red wine frosting and drizzled with caramel sauce and pomegranate arils. Serve with a glass of red wine for bonus points!
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 batch red wine frosting recipe below
- ½ cup caramel sauce recipe below
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
Red Wine Frosting:
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup dry red wine
Caramel Sauce:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp butter cut into pieces
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Coat three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottoms of pans with parchment paper rounds and spray them, as well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Form a well in the center.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs.
- Pour wet ingredients into the well created in dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Divide cake batter between three prepared pans.
- Bake cakes at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until tester or toothpick inserted into cakes' centers comes out clean.
- Cool cakes completely in pans on cooling racks.
- Once cooled, use circle cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut our small rounds (I used a 3" cutter, but you can use any size you want).
- Spread frosting on top of a cake round and top with another round. Frost top.
- Drizzle caramel over the top of mini cake and top with pomegranate arils.
Red Wine Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until creamy.
- Slowly blend in the powdered sugar, cup by cup until well-combined.
- Mix in vanilla and red wine. If your buttercream is too thick, add another teaspoon red wine at a time.
Caramel Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, heat granulated sugar over medium heat. Stir frequently with a rubber spatula until sugar turns into a smooth amber-color liquid.
- Stir butter into sugar. The mixture will bubble quite a bit. Stir for about 1 minute, until the butter is completely melted.
- Stir heavy cream into the mixture and let it come to a boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in salt. Pour the mixture into an airtight container like a mason jar or bowl. Store in fridge until ready to use. You may have to warm up before pouring over cakes.
Share a Photo of Your Finished Recipe!Mention @wearenotmartha and share a photo if you've made the recipe!