Christmas 2025 Wine Cake Recipe For A Moist Fruit And Flavor Packed Dessert
Written by jheelum basu | October 1, 2024
It often seems like the ‘c’ in Christmas stands for cakes, as they have always been at the very heart of the joyous celebration. While decorating Christmas trees, singing carols, and buying presents for the near and dear ones are almost non-negotiable, baking too has become an integral part of the celebration. Be it a gingerbread cake or a classic rich fruit cake, the options are endless these days. But, very few of them can actually beat a rich
wine cake
in taste and flavor.
Wine and fruitcake have traditionally formed a classic pairing when it comes to Christmas cakes.
For this wine cake recipe, dried fruits and nuts are soaked in red wine for at least 7-8 hours or up to a few days. Soaking the dried fruits and nuts in red wine infuses the rich and classic festive flavor into the fruit and flavor-packed dessert. After combining all the dry and wet ingredients and the soaked dried fruits and nuts, following the proper method, the batter is baked in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
For baking the classic Christmas wine cake, the popular choices often include fortified wines like port or sherry. They bring in an unmatched level of richness and moisture to the cake while elevating the flavor profile as well.
Why Wine and Cake Are a Great Combination?
Wine and cakes form a great pair for several reasons. While wine serves as a potent flavor enhancer with its signature aromatic notes, it also locks in moisture and makes the cake more tender. It also amplifies the overall taste of the cake as the alcohol content dissolves both water-soluble and fat-soluble flavor compounds. Besides adding a pretty red color, wine also increases the shelf life of a cake as it acts as a preservative.
Christmas Wine Cake Recipe
From soaking the dried fruits and nuts in red wine and creaming the butter and sugar for the soft and fluffy texture to pouring wine over the warm cake, here’s the detailed ingredients list and step-by-step guide for the classic rich wine cake for Christmas.
Ingredients
For soaking dried fruits and nuts
- 2 cups mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants, and dates)
- 1 cup of chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
- 1/4 cup tutti frutti
- 5 to 6 glazed red cherries
- ½ cup candied orange peels
- ½ cup candied ginger
- 2 cups red wine to soak
For the cake
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1:
Start by preheating the oven to 180°C. Keep a baking pan ready by lining it with a baking sheet.
Step 2:
Prepare the dry fruit mix by soaking the dried fruits, nuts, and other ingredients for soaking in red wine for at least 7-8 hours. To prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake, consider adding a little flour to them before soaking.
Step 3:
Use an electric hand mixer to cream the softened butter with brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Next, beat in eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and the orange juice as well.
Step 4:
Once the wet ingredients are mixed well, add the dry ingredients such as all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix all of them to form the cake batter.
Step 5:
Combine the prepared fruit mixture with the cake batter and give it a good mix before pouring it into the prepared baking pan.
Step 6:
Bake it for about 70-80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top layer is browning too quickly, a piece of parchment paper can be placed on it with a hole in the center for the last 15-20 minutes.
Step 7:
Once it is out of the oven, allow the cake to cool completely in the tin. While it is still warm, pour some red wine all over the cake and allow the cake to absorb the wine for some time before serving.
Conclusion:
This Christmas, bring in more warmth and comfort with this classic wine cake. While the wine takes care of the tenderness, the warm spices play with the flavors. And, with every single bite, the wine-soaked fruits and nuts evoke that quintessential Christmassy feeling. This year, make sure the Christmas dessert menu includes this simple yet classic recipe for that ultimate festive vibe.