Now that Christmas is over I’m attempting to wean myself from so many peppermint pastries. It was good while it lasted (Sooooo good) but moving onto New Years celebrations. These red wine chocolate cupcakes are just the thing I need for my New Years Eve party. It’s been years since I’ve gone out on the town for New Years. I just can’t make myself fight the crowds and pay the inflated prices for every venue in the city. A small get together at the house is much more my speed lately.
You know what I’m talking about. A few close friends, a few great bottles of wine or bubbly, some awesome appetizers, the NY times square ball drop in the background on the TV, all paired with some gourmet chocolate cupcakes.
I was up in Northern California for a conference a while back and we went on a wine tour. I loved this wine from Boeger winery up in Eldorado County. As many times as I have been wine tasting in California I had never ventured to El Dorado County. It was a diverse place with stunning beauty. There was a great blend of gorgeous scenery, colorful history, and fun outdoor adventures. You can get the wine from the winemaker, or if you have your own favorite go ahead and use it.
It made a great addition to the cupcake. I used it to create a wine syrup reduction and mix with the buttercream to give the frosting just a tiny bit of wine deliciousness. Now if you think you just want to go with plain buttercream, you don’t need to add the wine. But if you like the color just add a few drops of gel food coloring to get the red frosting.
For this recipe I used the red wine reduction in the batter while baking and I also used it once done baking. Once the cupcake was cooled I took a wooden skewer and poked a few holes in the top of the cupcake. I then drizzled some of the wine reduction into the holes and let the cupcake soak it up. Just a tiny bit here. A little goes a long way. You could skip this part if you wanted. It depends on how much red wine flavor you like. If you try one and decide you would like a bit more red wine flavor, go ahead and add. If you like it just the way it is, then call it done. Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!
As always we hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Please share if you end up making them, we always love to hear how it goes. If you find you are still longing for the peppermint like I am, these little chocolate peppermint meringues make great party food or even peppermint bark. Cheers to a Happy New Year!
Ingredients
- 297 grams AP Flour
- 425 grams sugar
- 65 grams cocoa powder
- 11grams salt
- 12 grams baking soda
- 45 grams cultured buttermilk powder
- 170 grams vegetable oil
- 470 grams water
- ¼ cup red wine syrup
- 80 grams eggs
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 cup wine syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line your cupcake pan with 24 pan liners.
- Boil red wine and the tablespoon of sugar until it reduces in half (about 10-15 minutes on medium low heat)
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and buttermilk powder into mixing bowl of stand mixer.
- With paddle attachment mix on low speed to combine.
- Add oil, water, eggs, and 1/4 cup wine syrup one at a time and continue mixing until blended together.
- Pour into cupcake pan and bake for 16 - 20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched or toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- If you want more wine flavor, use a skewer and poke holes in top of cupcakes, use 1/8 cup of wine syrup and drizzle over tops of cupcake.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together the confectioners sugar, butter, milk and vanilla on low speed until combined.
- Stop the mixer and scrape the sides down.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 more minutes. (If frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until creamy)
- Stir in the remaining 1/8 cup wine syrup
- This will make 2 cups frosting.
48 comments… add one
robin rue December 27, 2017, 10:20 am
Yes please! I have never had cupcakes like this before, but I want to make them for New Year’s Eve!
serena December 27, 2017, 10:51 am
They are simple to make. Enjoy 🙂
Beth December 27, 2017, 10:23 am
OMG! These sound simply amazing!! I would have never thought to add red wine to cupcakes!! AMAZING!!
serena December 27, 2017, 10:50 am
Thanks so much!
Traci December 27, 2017, 10:33 am
Well, you had me at red wine…and then you brought in cupcakes. Double jackpot…and I seriously need to make these asap!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
serena December 27, 2017, 10:50 am
I thought the same thing! Enjoy 🙂
Julie December 27, 2017, 10:52 am
Such a smart idea to use red wine as we know how beautifully it pairs with chocolate.
serena December 28, 2017, 9:32 am
Thanks so much!
Nawal Aharrass December 27, 2017, 11:36 am
Is there any substitute for the red wine syrup? Because I don’t consume alcohol. Thanks in advance
serena December 27, 2017, 11:52 am
Increase the water to 525 grams and eliminate the wine for just a chocolate cupcake.
Jacque Hastert December 27, 2017, 12:17 pm
Sound like the perfect dessert for our new years bash!
serena December 28, 2017, 8:13 am
Makes a great dessert for any event. Enjoy! And Happy New Year
Veena Azmanov December 27, 2017, 1:06 pm
Oh I’ve never heard of red wine in cupcakes… sounds so delicious. I love alcohol in my bakes so this is definitely a must try.
serena December 28, 2017, 8:13 am
Thanks!
Krystal Butherus December 27, 2017, 1:20 pm
Oh those really look GOOD! I’ll have to convert your measurements to cups and teaspoons, etc. Now, to find red wine syrup!
serena December 28, 2017, 9:33 am
I always struggle with this. I think we are going to start listing both on the recipes in 2018
Krystel | Disney on a Budget December 27, 2017, 5:00 pm
I probably wouldn’t be able to make these, but I would love to try one! I have to find a way
serena December 28, 2017, 9:34 am
Find a friend that loves to bake then enjoy one 🙂
Karen Morse December 27, 2017, 6:26 pm
These cupcakes are the bomb, I would love to give the recipe a try! Thanks for the tips on how to make it perfect!
serena December 28, 2017, 9:34 am
Thanks! Enjoy
Reesa Lewandowski December 27, 2017, 8:26 pm
My best friend makes something like this for our girl’s nights. They’re amazing. Great idea for New Years Eve!
serena December 28, 2017, 9:34 am
I don’t know why I haven’t been making these for those kind of events. Definitely in 2018!
Helen December 27, 2017, 10:42 pm
This is a great yet simple to make recipe. I would definitely share this and will try to bake one of these days.
serena December 28, 2017, 8:13 am
Enjoy!
Stella December 27, 2017, 10:54 pm
Great recipe, thanks for sharing! Whenever I am feeling lazy and make brownies from a box, I love to sub in red wine for water, it really adds a wonderful richness to an otherwise boring dessert.
serena December 28, 2017, 8:12 am
I haven’t tried the brownies with wine. It’s on my list of tests to do. Glad to hear that the flavor is good.
Jennifer December 28, 2017, 12:23 am
Oooooh these look amazing! I have try them, and love that my husband will also enjoy them. He loves red velvet and I love wine!
serena December 28, 2017, 8:12 am
Enjoy!
Ching December 28, 2017, 2:19 am
Seriously? You said the two magic words.Wine and cupcakes…how can you go wrong? !I have never heard of it going together in a recipe like this but trust me, I am NOT complaining!
serena December 28, 2017, 8:12 am
LOL! I thought the same thing!
Helene December 28, 2017, 4:21 am
Oh wow that sounds like a nice and special cupcakes.. im so love in the recipe that i feel i also should try out the same for new year…
Thanks for such a lovely recipe
serena December 28, 2017, 8:11 am
Thanks so much! Enjoy 🙂
Pam December 28, 2017, 8:13 am
Red wine cupcakes?! OMG, where have you been all my life? I will definitely need to try these out. Thanks so much for the thorough instructions.
serena December 28, 2017, 9:35 am
Enjoy!
Cindy Ingalls December 28, 2017, 9:24 am
I remember trying an adult cupcake at a bakery a few years ago. They were all infused with some type of liquor and they were insanely delicious. Using red wine in the frosting sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try these out, maybe over NYE.
serena December 28, 2017, 9:35 am
Enjoy 🙂
Lisa Rios December 28, 2017, 11:11 am
These look so delicious! I LOVE chocolate, and cupcakes, these look like great dessert items for a girl’s night.
Luci December 28, 2017, 1:08 pm
Oh wow, I wouldn’t have though about making cupcakes with wine and combine it with chocolate. Yummy.
Jessica Joachim December 28, 2017, 1:51 pm
two of my favorite things, wine and chocolate, how can you go wrong!? I totally have to try these out soon!
Nailil December 28, 2017, 1:54 pm
I love wine and cupcakes the same. This recipe which combines both, sounds just amazing. I am pinning it for later, so delicious.
Doreen Pinto December 28, 2017, 2:50 pm
Nice recipe. Looks tempting
Meghna December 29, 2017, 10:12 am
I won’t be able to make it. But I sure want to eat it.
Molly Kumar December 29, 2017, 2:15 pm
These look super fun to make as we do have some leftover red wine which I’ve been thinking where to use. I love the frosting on these too.
Heather December 29, 2017, 3:06 pm
Wow, these look wonderful and would be so great for many of my friends. Definitely an awesome party food!
Ariel December 29, 2017, 6:34 pm
These cupcakes look so delicious! I really need to try this recipe, although they probably won’t turn out as pretty as these! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
serena December 31, 2017, 7:20 am
Practice your piping on a piece of parchment paper and just scoop the frosting back into your piping bag when done. Let’s you get some practice in without wasting frosting or cupcake 🙂
Maria Katsulos December 29, 2017, 10:27 pm
These look so yummy!! I’d definitely skip the red wine part for myself, LOL, but these look fantastic!!
Nicole Shillings December 30, 2017, 2:04 pm
OMG! These look soooooooooo decadent and elegant. These would be perfect for Valentine’s Day! What a treat!