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.
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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.
Hi dasanna. can I bake this wine cake in a bundt silicon pan?
yes you can.
Hi Dassana,
I am planning to make this cake on Christmas. I have few questions, it would be very kind of you if you get time to answer these.
1. Can I soak all the nuts and fruits now in red wine? (will make after 1.5 months)
2. Can we substitute maida with whole wheat flour? If yes, any other change in recipe?
3. You mentioned to cling wrap and let it mature for 3-4 days. Could you tell in refrigerator or at room temp?
Thanks a ton 🙂 You are my go to person for any recipe.
garima, of course i will.
1. yes you can soak the fruits in red wine. keep in the fridge though.
2. you can substitute maida with atta. since atta absorbs more liquids, you can add more milk. so you add 2/3rd to 3/4th cup milk. this will depend on the quality of atta.
3. the cake needs to me matured at room temperature. it will not get spoiled as the temperature is cold in december.
welcome garima ????
Thanks for your prompt reply Dassana. Will definitely try this.
I am planning to use dried fruits like blueberry, cranberry, strawberry in this. Already excited!
welcome garima. yes you can various types of berries. enjoy and happy baking.
Hi Dassana,
Finally tried this few weeks before Christmas as I had excess soaked dried fruits and the cake turns out to be too good. My mom who was hesitant to try due to the presence on wine loved it too.
I used whole wheat flour so have to use almost a cup of milk. The cake was bit crumbly which was expected of such a heavy cake but it was super yum.
Thanks a lot for sharing. It paired well with vanilla ice-cream too.
thank you garima. now you can easily make it before christmas ????
pairing with vanilla ice cream is great. i have to serve it this way next time.
Thanks for the recipe. I made this cake yesterday and am very happy with the result! I soaked the fruit in rum & did not add cacao nibs. Couldn’t wait for 3 days, so tasted it today. Awesome taste! Will try with red wine next.Wish you a very happy new year!
thats nice to know anuradha. thanks for sharing. cacao nibs can be skipped. wish you too a happy new year.
Hello Dassana ji, I followed your suggestion and used 3/4th cup of sugar since I had skipped on tutti fruiti and candied cherries. The cake turned out absolutely delicious and rustic with just the right amount of sweetness. Thank you for the recipe. Merry Christmas and happy new to you and your family. Reshma
okay. then 3/4th cup sugar is fine. thanks for sharing the positive feedback on the wine cake recipe. most welcome and wish you and your family too season’s greetings as well as a happy new year.
Dear Dassana,
I have kept the dry fruits for marination in Merlot red wine. Before baking I just wanted to confirm if 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of sugar would give enough sweetness for 2 cups of maida used in this recipe? Can I increase the quantity of sugar slightly or this is supposed to be a slightly bitter cake? Would appreciate your valuable suggestion. Thanks.
reshma in the recipe along with sugar the dry fruits also contribute to the sweetness. especially dates, figs, sultanas, cherries, tutti frutti and raisins. if you add more sugar, the overall taste of the cake becomes more sweet as the sweetness of the dry fruits is also felt eating the cake. if you want you can increase the amount of sugar. overall you can add 3/4th cup of sugar. the cake will be more sweet.