Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes made with a hint of Bordeaux for a luxuriously decadent grown-up treat! Perfect for Valentine's Day!
Servings: 0
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose flour, plus 2 additional tablespoons (16 g) recommended: King Arthur brand
- 1/2 cup natural and Dutched cocoa powder blend, unsweetened recommended: Saco Pantry brand
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup Bordeaux
For Chocolate Red Wine Buttercream:
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, plus more if needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp natural and Dutched blend cocoa powder, unsweetened recommended: Saco Pantry brand
- 4 tbsp Bordeaux
For Vanilla Red Wine Buttercream:
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, plus more if needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Bordeaux
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (160 C). Line a cupcake tray with baking cups.
- Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, and set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on low-medium speed until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well to combine. Add only half of the flour mixture and half of the wine. Mix together on low speed until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour and wine, mixing again until well incorporated – scraping down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Note: If you taste the batter now, the wine will be pronounced. It will be more subtle after baking.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them halfway or just a tad more than halfway. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
For the Buttercream:
- Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla to a stand mixer bowl. Combine by hand first to get it going, then mix on low-medium speed until well combined.
- If making the chocolate version, add the cocoa powder now. Otherwise, omit this step.
- Add one tablespoon (15 ml) of the wine at a time, continuing to mix well after each tablespoon. Taste and adjust the sugar content, if needed. Once the ingredients are well mixed, turn the machine to higher setting and whip until fluffy.
Notes
If making the chocolate red wine buttercream, be patient. At first the color will be very pale, resist the urge to add more cocoa. Once all of the ingredients are mixed well, the color will deepen.
You can certainly play around with this recipe, adding more or less wine. I prefer the wine to be distinct, but subtle – complementing the cocoa and not overpowering it.