You and me, like chocolate and red wine, perfect pairing.
For this recipe I wanted to find out which would be better, a deep red such as Merlot or a lighter, sweeter red like a red blend. I chose a Merlot that had hints of berries but also chocolate; then for the lighter red, it had more of a floral note. What I found was that they were equally delicious. Deep reds will be more pronounced in the cupcake and lighter reds will balance better in the frosting. So grab your favorite red and be prepared to fall in love all over again.
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Time: 45min
INGREDIENTS
Cupcake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Red Wine
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream cheese frosting recipe:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 – 4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
3 tbsp Red Wine
4 drops red food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup melted chocolate for drizzling (optional)
Ganache Filling:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
2/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
2-4 teaspoons Red Wine
INSTRUCTIONS
Cupcake
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper wrappers.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, combine wine, milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for two minutes until well combined.
Slowly add flour mixture. Batter will be thin. Scoop into cupcake wrappers.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Cut holes in the center of cupcakes.
Filling
Put chocolate in a medium heat safe bowl and set aside. Over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, heat the cream/half-and-half until simmering then pour it over the chocolate.
Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If the chocolate is not completely melted you can place it in the microwave for 20 seconds, but watch carefully so you don’t burn it).
Add the butter and Red Wine, stir until combined.
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to work with (you can refrigerate the mixture to speed up, but you will need to stir it every 10 minutes or so).
When all cupcakes are ready, fill with ganache.
Frosting
Mix together butter and cream cheese.
With motor running, add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until all the sugar has been added, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition.
Stir in Red Wine until fully incorporated.
Enjoy!
