Feeling the nip in the air along with things beginning to look like Christmas, then this joyous festival is not too far! This is also exactly when you know that its that time of the year, when you would go on a baking spree at home to make cakes, pies, tarts and other similar desserts. Here’s just the perfect eggless version of a boozy red Wine Cake that’s going to bring you all the love and warmth with its decadent flavors, and make you happy high! This is one of those Eggless Cakes, which is also all things festive and fun.
Table of Contents
About Wine Cake
Although, the Fruit Cake is what truly represents the spirit of a sweet Christmas goodie, this Wine Cake is no less.
Because in this particular cake too, the presence of alcohol, in the form of red wine, is enough to make you feel the joy around and comfort you as well.
Got bottles of red wine at home, and don’t really want to drink them just like that? Also, are in a mood to experiment baking with alcohol in your kitchen?
Your answer lies in this Wine Cake. It is an easy and delicious recipe, with which you will be able to make the most moist, soft, eggless and boozy cake.
I have loosely adapted this recipe of Wine Cake from my other favorite recipe of the Christmas Fruit Cake made with rum. This recipe also is an eggless cake version.
So, when you compare both these cakes, you’ll find a lot of the ingredients similar in both of them. I also have a fruit cake variant made with apple juice and called as the Plum Cake here in India.
This Wine Cake can be easily veganized. I have mentioned the substitutions in the tips section and recipe details below.
About My Recipe
Soaking the nuts, dry fruits and other similar ingredients is an important part of making this Wine Cake.
Traditionally, when any such cakes with nuts, dried fruits and alcohol is made, an essential element of them is soaking the nuts and dried fruits in the alcohol for a long period of time.
At fine dine restaurants and 5 or 7-star hotels, they actually have a cake mixing festival, which takes place weeks before Christmas.
Basically, this involves all the employees and sometimes guests too, mixing these ingredients in the choice of alcohol like rum, wine, etc.
This mixture is then kept to mature for the longest time. Then, finally used in baking the grandest and most delish cake, either on the eve or on the day of Christmas.
In my egg-free Wine Cake too, I have soaked seedless dates, almonds, cashews, walnuts, golden raisins, sultanas, glazed red cherries, tutti frutti, candied orange peel and candied ginger in the red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon), for a good 2 weeks, that is 14 days.
You can choose to keep this for a longer time. But then make sure, to plan out the recipe that way.
After baking the Wine Cake, wrap the cake once its cooled. If had straightway, the wine flavor is a bit strong. If you keep the cake for 2 to 3 days, the flavors become subtle and mellow down.
The red Wine Cake is moist, soft and tastes too good for an eggless version. You can choose to make as more loafs at a time and then use it as a gifting goodie as well during the festive season.
How to make Wine Cake
Soak Nuts and Dry fruits
1. First chop ½ cup seedless dates, ¼ cup almonds, ¼ cup cashews, 4 to 5 halved walnuts, 5 to 6 glazed red cherries and a few candied orange peels and candied ginger.
You will require 1 tablespoon each of the chopped candied orange peels and candied ginger.
2. In a bowl or jar, soak the chopped nuts and dry fruits in 1 cup red wine. Cover and keep this bowl or jar in a cool, dry place.
I kept the bowl out for 3 days, and then for the remaining days, I kept in the refrigerator. Every alternate day, shake the jar or stir the soaked ingredients in the bowl.
3. The soaked nuts and dry fruits on the 14th day.
Make Wine Cake
4. Sieve 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida) with 1 pinch salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg and 1 teaspoon instant coffee. Mix well.
Also remember to preheat your oven for 15 minutes at 200 degree C/390 degrees F.
5. Now, add the soaked nuts and dry fruits, ½ cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (or brown sugar) and 2 tablespoons curd (yogurt) dissolved in 1 tablespoon water.
6. Add ¾ cup oil, ½ cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence.
7. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
8. Pour the prepared batter in a greased or butter paper lined cake pan. I used 2 cake pans of 3.5 x 7.5 inches width.
9. Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 200 degree C/390 degrees F for about 50 minutes to 1 hour. The time taken to bake will vary depending upon your oven.
10. Place the loaf pan/pans on a wired rack to cool. When the Wine Cake has cooled, remove it gently from the pan.
When the cake is completely cooled, wrap the cake in an aluminium foil or cling film and allow the cake to mature for 2 to 3 days (at room temperature or in the fridge) before serving. I served it after 3 days.
Expert Tips
- To make vegan Wine Cake, use soy yogurt or cashew yogurt, instead of dairy yogurt. Use soy milk, almond milk or cashew milk, instead of dairy milk.
- You can also use apple juice, instead of wine, and soak the dry fruits for a day or two in the apple juice.
- I kept the soaked dry fruits bowl out for 3 days. Then, the rest of the days I kept it in the refrigerator. Every alternate day, stir the ingredients in the bowl or shake the jar.
- The time to bake the Wine Cake will vary, depending upon the make of your oven.
- After the cake cools completely, wrap it in an aluminium foil or cling film. Keep it for 2 to 3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator, so that it can mature well. Then, serve.
More Eggless Cake Recipes To Try!
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Wine Cake (Eggless)
Ingredients
For soaking
- 1 cup red wine
- ½ cup seedless dates
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup cashews
- 5 to 6 glazed red cherries
- 1 tablespoon tutti frutti
- 1 tablespoon candied orange peel – finely chopped, optional
- 1 tablespoon candied ginger – finely chopped, optional
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup sultanas – optional
- 4 to 5 walnuts – chopped
Other ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder (ground nutmeg)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar or brown sugar
- ¾ cup oil – any neutral flavored oil like sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons Curd (yogurt) dissolved and mixed in 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 tablespoon cacao nibs – optional
Instructions
Preparation
- First chop the dates, almonds, cashews, walnuts, glazed cherries, candied orange peels, candied ginger.
- In a bowl or jar soak the chopped nuts and dry fruits as well the tutti frutti, raisins and sultanas in red wine.
- Cover and keep this bowl or jar in a cool dry place. For 3 days I kept the bowl out and then for the remaining days I kept in the fridge. Every alternate day shake the jar or stir the bowl.
Making wine cake
- Sieve the all-purpose flour (maida) with salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add cinnamon powder, grated nutmeg and instant coffee. Mix well.
- Preheat your oven at 200 degree C/390 degrees F for 15 minutes. Grease a 6 to 7 inches diameter round cake pan or a regular loaf pan with some oil or line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir and mix 1 tablespoon water with 2 tablespoons curd/yogurt until smooth. Set aside
- Next add the soaked nuts and dry fruits mixture, cacao nibs, brown sugar, yogurt and water mixture, oil, milk and vanilla extract.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to get an even batter.
- Pour the batter in the greased or parchment paper lined cake pan of 6 to 7 inches diameter.
- Bake the eggless wine cake in a preheated oven for 200 degree C/390 degrees F for about 50 mins to 1 hour or till a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- Keep the cake in the middle rack with both the top and bottom heating elements of the oven on.
- If the top of the cake gets to brown quickly, then cover the top with aluminium foil or parchment paper.
- Place the cake pan on a wired rack to cool. When the red wine cake has cooled completely, remove it from the pan.
- Wrap the cake in an aluminium foil or cling film and allow the wine cake to mature for 2 to 3 days (at room temperature or in the fridge) before serving.
- Slice and serve Wine Cake as a dessert or sweet.
Notes
- For vegan substitutions, use soy yogurt or cashew yogurt. Use soy milk, almond milk or cashew milk instead of dairy milk.
- You can also use apple juice instead of wine and soak the dry fruit for a day or two in the apple juice.
- The approximate nutritional information is for one slice of the cake.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Wine Cake recipe post from the blog archives first published in December 2013 has been republished and updated on December 2022.
Dear Dassana,
Firstly, thank you for creating this food blog/website. I am sure, am gonna learn a lot.
I am planning to make this cake for Xmas and have a couple of queries…..
1. Can i use Port wine to soak the dryfruits
2. Do we need to glaze the tutty fruity as well
3. I have a microwave, will use the convection mode.. Will the temp settings be same as mentioned in your recipe or will that differ. Please advice
4. Should the cake be kept in fridge while its maturing or should it be kept out
I am new with baking hence a lot of queries. Appreciate your response 🙂
Thanks
Lakshmi
thanks lakshmi
1. you can use port wine
2. i did. but if you don’t want you can skip.
3. bake at 180 degrees in the convection mode. preheat also in the same mode. the time will vary and might be faster in the microwave oven.
4. you can keep put for a day or two and then keep in the fridge.
Hi Dassana,
Can I make Christmas cake in Pressure cooker without keeping whistle or can I make the cake in tava (putting the sand) and keeping cake tin on top covering with silver foil ???
you can make this cake in the pressure cooker without keeping the whistle. you can sprinkle some sand on the bottom of the cooker and then place the cake pan on top of the sand. don’t make on tava. it will take a lot of time to bake in the cooker. about 1 hour or more.
Hi, thanks a lot for ur reply. Will make it and let u know.
welcome sunitha
Dear Dassana,
I have made this week in port wine and it came out to be hit. I baked the cake in 150 degree, for 1 and half hour in top and bottom mode.
I simply love all ur baking recipes as its all eggless. Normally we buy wine cakes from vinenna in Mumbai. But finally I can bake Christmas cakes. Once again thank for posting this recipe and keep posting more eggless recipes.
welcome sunitha. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
Superb…recipe…
Love to make it
I will also give 5 out of 5……
thanks ashmita for giving 5 star rating.
Hey Dassana,Merry xmas..Cake was a Super Hit..Thnx!!
thanks rads. glad to know 🙂
Hi Dassana,
I tried this cake at home, it went well. but the outer layer of cake became hard and it was breaking while cutting into pieces. the same thing happens with me while baking breads too. taste wise it will be good but shape will not be perfect. not sure what goes wrong. i tried to bake with cover and without cover but the issue still persists 🙁
please advise.
okay. let me know for how long you pre heat and which oven you use – OTG or the convection mode in microwave oven? if using OTG then which heating element you use – top or bottom or both.
I faced the same problem, my outer layer got burnt. I used OTG top and bottom element and preheat the Oven for 20 min.
seema, oven temperatures vary. when using both the top and bottom heating elements do not keep the pan close to the top heating element. if there is a fan in the OTG, then the baking will be quick and the temperature will also be higher. so in this case reduce the temperature or reduce the time. you can reduce the temperature by 10 to 15 degrees celsius and time also by 10 to 15 minutes.
preheating for 20 minutes is fine. when you see the top getting browned faster, then its better to cover with aluminium foil so that the top does not get burnt. usually i keep the pan in the center rack or the second lower rack and not close to the top heating element. alternatively you can also just use the bottom heating element and bake cakes. hope this helps.