Deep, dark, and sultry, this Red Wine Chocolate Cake has definite attitude. Its big, bold flavour belies its easy one-bowl method. Stir the batter (gluten-free or regular) together in less than 10 minutes, and while the cake is cooling, cook up the quick boiled frosting - a caramelly, chocolatey, fudgy layer of deliciousness that takes this cake into the realm of the sublime.

Oh, chocolate . . . how do I love thee?
Oh, yes . . . and you, too, red wine.
I love you both and cannot choose between you.
Luckily, I don't have to - one luscious bite of your dark and sensual partnership, and I am smitten. I'm deep in sinful chocolate-and-red-wine love.
There's a sultry soul to this cake, a complex dark chocolate flavour that will appeal to every chocolate lover. The red wine brings out the hidden nuances of the cocoa bean making the cake rich and decadent, taken almost to the edge of bitter but saved by the luscious ooey-gooey caramel/chocolate icing. The cake itself is not too sweet, the icing is slightly moreso - altogether it makes the most satisfying mouthful.

Whether you cut larger pieces to serve for an easy-to-make but memorable dessert, or cut the red wine chocolate cake into smaller squares for snacking and nibbling, it will not last long in a chocolate-loving household. And don't worry about feeding the cake to children (that is, if you want to share). The alcohol from the wine evaporates during baking, leaving only the rich complex flavour - a slight fruitiness that makes the chocolate sing.
What You'll Need
A few common ingredients:

And for the icing:

How to Make One-Bowl Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Get out one bowl and a whisk - yes, that's all you really need. Whisk together the liquid ingredients, add the dry ingredients, stir some more, and the cake batter is done. Spread it into a pan and bake it. It's that easy.

Once the cake is baked and cooling, you can stir together the luscious caramel-chocolate icing. Put the sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla into a pot. Cook it until it turns to caramel and starts to bubble. Then remove the pot from the heat, stir in a small handful of chocolate chips, and let the icing cool until it's spreadable.

Now spread that ooey, gooey, silky mass over the cooled cake, and wait until it sets up a bit . . . if you can.

Cut yourself a big piece of this fantastic red wine chocolate cake, grab a cup of coffee or tea (or a glass of red wine), and take that heavenly first bite.

In the summer, I love making a dark chocolate zucchini cake with a chocolate ganache glaze, but this luscious red wine chocolate cake is our winter indulgence. Just what we need when we're cocooning with cozy slippers and a good book.
Enjoy!
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Guten Appetit!

One-Bowl Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Easy Boiled Frosting
Ingredients
for the red wine chocolate cake:
- ½ cup (115gms) salted butter, melted
- ½ cup (120ml) red wine
- ½ cup (100gms) soft, dark brown sugar, firmly packed*
- ⅓ cup (80gms) sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (140gms) gluten-free flour or regular flour for non-gluten-free
- ⅓ cup (35gms) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (increase the salt to ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
for the ooey, gooey boiled caramel-chocolate frosting:
- ½ cup (100gms) soft, dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (60gms) salted butter, diced
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (40gms) chocolate chips
Variation: replace the red wine with dark beer (gluten-free, if necessary)
Instructions
make the one-bowl red wine chocolate cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ (170℃). Grease a 9x9-inch (23x23cm) metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the red wine, brown sugar, sour cream, and egg. Add the melted butter and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder (sifted if there are any lumps), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dough until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be quite stiff.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, and spread it evenly into the corners. Smooth the top with a silicone spatula.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool completely, in the pan.
make the boiled frosting (while the cake is cooling):
- Put the brown sugar, egg, diced butter, and vanilla into a small saucepan and cook the caramel over medium heat, whisking constantly until it just comes to a boil and thickens. As soon as you see the first bubbles, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until they are melted. Let the frosting cool until it is thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled red wine chocolate cake. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour, until the frosting has set and is fudgy.
- Cut into 9 dessert-sized squares or 12-16 snack-sized portions.
Meredith Adams
This looks fabulous and decadent Margaret! I can hardly wait to try it out- easy enough for me!
Margaret
Aw, thanks, Meredith! ❤️ I hope you enjoy it. It really is a quick and easy cake to whip up, and not too sweet. Happy Baking!
Susan Evitts
Why type of red wine do you recommend?
Margaret
I have made this cake with different types of wine and it always turns out great - even poured together the last bits from several different bottles. So really, any red wine you have will work well, as the flavour melds with the chocolate and just makes it taste more complex and fruity.
April Hansen
Margaret,
How is 1/2 cup of butter 225 grams? Isn't it 120 grams? In the frosting you call for 1/4 cup or 60 grams. So a half cup should be 120 grams. Am I misunderstanding something?
April
Margaret
You are so right - thank you for catching that! That was a misprint. 1/2 cup of butter weighs 113.4 grams, so I round it up to 115 grams when it works in the recipe. (1/4 cup weighs 56.7 grams, so it's usually rounded up to 60 grams.) I've changed it now. I'm glad you let me know. 🥰
Joan Park
Hello Margaret! Thank you for this yummy recipe!
I made it today and it was delicious! We all agreed, it's Definitely a Keeper!
Margaret
Aw, thanks so much, Joan! That makes me really happy to hear it.😍 (There's just something about chocolate, isn't there?)
Barb
Could you please suggest an idea to sub out the red wine?
Margaret
Yes, you could use pomegranate juice (or cranberry juice) instead of the red wine - they'd both give enough acidity to react with the baking soda, and would add a similar fruitiness to what red wine would produce in the finished cake. Happy Baking! 😍