Red Wine Chocolate Buttercream
Creamy, smooth buttercream with the rich tastes of red wine and chocolate perfectly balanced together. This may not be for kids, but it will certainly be a hit with any wine-lover. Try it on a Valentine’s cake or with my chocolate cake and you have the perfect grownup dessert!
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Anyone else not a fan of February? I really should be. It’s a short month. It’s the month I found out I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter. It’s the month my wonderful now-husband asked me to be his girlfriend (10 years ago…what???).
But I’ve never been a fan of February.
It’s dreary and the end of cold weather, right when I’m feeling done with the cold and rain and ready for spring. So, instead of dwelling on the weird super sunny, super cold day we’re having (my least favorite kind of day), I’m focusing on buttercream. Yummy, red wine infused, chocolate buttercream. 😍
I choose to share my frostings as separate posts because 1) one cake provides material for at least two posts—and this toddler mom also teaches high school full time, and 2) I love that the possibilities are endless! I’m slowly going back through old recipes and sharing what other flavor combinations would work well with each frosting and cake I’ve shared (because I finally have enough recipes that this actually works).
Even though I often share cakes as a whole package—frosting, filling, decoration all together—I’m a fan of the mix-and-match game with desserts.
Which may sound random and unrelated to you, but it’s what’s on my mind as I try to justify three posts about one cake and also continue building up this blog into something with momentum.
But then I remember just how amazing this buttercream was. I ended up with exactly enough to frost my cake and no more—which was actually sad because I had cut the domed tops of my cakes and had no frosting for those and also because this frost was that good. 😩
How to make red wine chocolate buttercream
This is a very simple buttercream. It’s your typical butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt recipe, with cocoa powder added to taste. The only twist is you use red wine instead of heavy whipping cream to smooth it out. Voila! Red wine chocolate buttercream.
First, cream the butter until smooth. Not everyone does this, but I think it makes a difference.
Next, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time (ish…I often eyeball it). Be sure to beat until smooth and scrape the bowl between additions. I have noticed a difference in the final product when I don’t do those two steps.
Add the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth (again, I know). It will be a little thick because you need a very sturdy base to keep it from getting runny with the red wine.
Now, for the best part—add the red wine! Beat until smooth.
Taste, adjusting as needed (I added more cocoa powder to thicken it slightly without making it too sweet). Beat on high for a minute or two to fluff it up, then stir until the air bubbles release (this was a bit more airy than most frostings, so I really, really recommend the stirring step at the end).
Tips and notes for this recipe
Adjust ingredients at the end
Because the balance of flavors as well as textures is so delicate in this buttercream, wait until you’ve added the red wine to add more sugar or cocoa or even salt. I almost made mine too chocolate-y and overpowered the red wine flavor, so adjust slowly when you do that.
Don’t skip the final stir!
Because the red wine isn’t thick like heavy whipping cream, it does lead to more air pockets than your average American buttercream. So, while I will always suggest you whip your frosting (even for just a minute to make it fluffy), I recommend you do not skip the stirring at the end. Trust me. I spend almost an hour frosting my mini cake because the air pockets kept making a mess of things.
Store in the fridge to deepen the flavors
I made my buttercream the day before and stored it in the fridge overnight. Wowzers. The flavors of both chocolate and red wine were even more vibrant the next day! And yes, I realize I used wowzers and now sound like a mom from the 80’s. I am what I am. 😂
Not for children!
Because the red wine is not cooked down, this still has a small amount of alcohol in it and is thus not suitable for children. You could cook down the wine to remove the alcohol, but I do know know enough about the science behind that to advise you on it nor do I think kids will want a red wine tasting frosting. Save this for a date night in!
My buttercream tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this buttercream. Affiliate links provided.
Red Wine Chocolate Buttercream
total time: 5-10 minutes
yields: about 2 ½ cups (enough for a 2-3 layer cake)
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks or 12 ounces) unsalted European style butter, room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt (or to taste)
- ¼ cup sweet red wine
Instructions:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer), cream the butter on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time (ish…I often eyeball it). Beat on low then slowly increase to high (to avoid a sugar bomb). Be sure to beat until smooth (about 30-6o seconds) and scrape the bowl between additions. I have noticed a difference in the final product when I don’t do those two steps.
- Add the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth for about 1 minute (again, I know). It will be a little thick because you need a very sturdy base to keep it from becoming runny with the red wine.
- Now, for the best part—add the red wine! Beat, starting on low then increasing to high, until very smooth. It might look separated at first, but keep beating until it emulsifies with the butter and becomes smooth.
- Taste, adjusting as needed (I added more cocoa powder to thicken it slightly without making it too sweet). Beat on high for a minute or two to fluff it up, then stir until the air bubbles release (this was a bit more airy than most frostings, so I really, really recommend the stirring step at the end).
Enjoy! Frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for 1-2 months. If chilled, let it come to room temperature for a couple hours then stir to help release any lingering air bubbles. If it was chilled for a long time, it may need to be fluffed back up with a hand mixer for a couple minutes.
