Your Valentine deserves a one of a kind, decadent dessert like this red wine chocolate cake! As a naturally gluten free cake made with a full-bodied wine, it has a dense, fudgy texture that pairs perfectly with fresh raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.
A holiday as special as Valentine's Day deserves a truly extraordinary dessert! This gorgeous red wine chocolate cake is rich and fudgy, with a deep chocolate base, powerful notes of red wine, and the extra indulgence of cocoa powder and juicy raspberries on top. The recipe is as easy as it is impressive, and it comes together in just about an hour, making it the perfect cake to bake with your Valentine on this cozy holiday evening.
For more chocolate Valentine's dessert recipes, try Valentine's M&M Brownies, Chocolate Tiramisu Cake, and Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies.
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Why you'll love this red wine chocolate cake recipe
- Decadent Chocolate with Notes of Red Wine: This cake is truly decadent, with a fudgy chocolate base and strong notes of your favorite red wine coming through in every bite.
- Naturally Gluten Free: No substitutions or extra steps here! This cake recipe uses almond flour instead of all purpose flour, making it naturally gluten free.
- Easy, Yet Impressive Dessert: While this red wine chocolate cake is a true showstopper, it's much easier to make than it looks, and it only takes about an hour in total!
Ingredient Notes
- Red Wine: Use a full-bodied red wine for the most rich flavor. I recommend a zinfandel or a cabernet sauvignon.
- Chocolate: Use a high quality bittersweet chocolate for a unique flavor profile. Alternatively, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, or even milk chocolate chips.
- Cocoa Powder: Use a high quality dutch process cocoa powder for a rich & intense chocolate flavor.
- Unsalted Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for best overall flavor.
- Almond Flour: Use a fine, high quality almond flour.
- Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Vanilla: Add a high quality vanilla extract for optimal flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this red wine chocolate cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Sift dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
STEP 2: Melt chocolate and butter. In a separate medium bowl, add the 5 ounces chocolate and 10 tablespoons of cubed butter. Place over a pot of simmering water and stir frequently until completely melted. Alternatively, you can use a microwave-safe bowl and heat the butter and chocolate in small intervals until melted.
STEP 3: Add red wine. Remove the melted chocolate, butter mixture from heat and stir in the red wine. Set aside.
STEP 4: Beat sugar and eggs. In a large bowl, add the sugar and 5 large eggs. Use an electric hand mixer to beat on high speed for 5 minutes or until doubled in size and light in color.
STEP 5: Add wine mixture. Mix in the chocolate and wine mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
STEP 6: Add dry ingredients. Then, add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until fully combined.
STEP 7: Bake and cool. Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared round cake pan and smooth out the top into an even layer. Bake the cake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
STEP 8: Decorate. Once the cake is cool, transfer to a cooling rack or serving plate. Dust with cocoa powder and top with fresh raspberries. To make the shipped cream, beat the heavy cream and three teaspoons of sugar until medium peaks form. Serve this chocolate red wine cake with your homemade whipped cream, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use a high-quality bittersweet chocolate. I recommend Valrhona or Guittard.
- Beat the sugar & eggs for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to beat the sugar and eggs for a full 5-6 minutes! Since this recipe does not have any chemical leavening, the air whipped into this step is necessary for the cake to rise and bake up with a delicate, almost cake-like brownie texture.
- Wait to make the whipped cream until ready to serve. Homemade whipped cream can deflate quickly, so it's best to wait to make it until just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Dutch process cocoa powder is THE best cocoa powder for baking. Because it's neutralized with an alkalizing agent, it has a smoother flavor and creates the most fudgy and chocolatey baked goods! Black cocoa powder is similar to dutch process, but richer in flavor and darker in color. It is typically used in small amounts alongside another cocoa powder to enhance the color and flavor of the baked good.
Though I'm partial to the chocolate and raspberry pairing, you can absolutely customize some toppings! You could make a frosting or a chocolate ganache with a dash of sea salt instead of the cocoa powder dusting, or you could use powdered sugar instead of cocoa powder. If you don't like raspberries, you could also use chopped strawberries or any other fruit you prefer!
Store this cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other Valentine's Day recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the red wine chocolate cake:
- 192 g (2 cups) almond flour
- 42 g (½ cup) dutch process cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 140 g (5 oz) dark chocolate
- 140 g (10 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 113 g (½ cup) full-bodied red wine, such as zinfandel or cabernet
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 5 eggs, room temp
- Fresh raspberries, for topping
For the whipped cream:
- 113 g (½ cup) heavy cream, cold
- 12 g (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
Instructions
For the red wine chocolate cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” springform pan and coat with cocoa powder.
- In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Place over a pot of simmering water and stir frequently until completely melted.
- Remove the melted chocolate, butter mixture from heat and stir in the red wine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and eggs. Use an electric hand mixer to beat on high speed for 5 minutes or until doubled in size and light in color.
- Mix in the chocolate, wine mixture until fully incorporated. Then, add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top into an even layer.
- Bake the cake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
For the whipped cream:
- In a small bow, add the heavy cream and sugar. Use an electric hand mixer to whip the cream until medium peaks form.
- Once the cake is cool, transfer to a serving plate. Dust with cocoa powder and top with fresh raspberries. Serve with whipped cream, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a high-quality bittersweet chocolate. I recommend Valrhona or Guittard.
- Beat the sugar & eggs for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to beat the sugar and eggs for a full 5-6 minutes! Since this recipe does not have any chemical leavening, the air whipped into this step is necessary for the cake to rise and bake up with a delicate, almost cake-like brownie texture.
- Wait to make the whipped cream until ready to serve. Homemade whipped cream can deflate quickly, so it's best to wait to make it until just before serving.
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