When it comes to Valentine’s Day, I don’t see the need for a specific holiday to show my love and affection. Why can’t that just be everyday?! Nonetheless, it can be an excuse to make some festive treats and brighten up the long, cold winter. This week I made Sangiovese Chocolate Cupcakes and they are the perfect dessert to make for Valentine’s Day. The recipe doesn’t call for the full bottle of wine, so enjoy the rest with the cupcakes!
Crazy Cake
Sangiovese Chocolate Cupcakes are based off of the classic “crazy cake” recipe. It’s also known as “wacky cake” or “depression cake”. Crazy cake was a common dessert during the Great Depression because it doesn’t use milk, eggs, or butter. It’s now a go-to recipe for many vegans. The cake is so simple, yet very delicious and was one of my favorite treats as a kid. It’s also very adaptable to make different flavors. In this case, I swapped out the water for Sangiovese wine. Any red wine would work, but I prefer dry reds because they won’t add much sweetness and have a stronger flavor that will be more prominent.
Frosting and Decorating
The frosting for Sangiovese Chocolate Cupcakes is very simple: just powdered sugar, softened butter, and Sangiovese. I had to add five tablespoons of wine in order to get as much flavor and color as I was looking for. That’s more liquid than I normally add to frosting, so it’s best for winter when it won’t be affected by temperature as much. Nonetheless, it’s important to work quickly before it gets warm and it may help to chill your mixing bowl and beaters beforehand.
To decorate Sangiovese Chocolate Cupcakes, I used Wilton Decorating Tip 1M and a plastic piping bag. After filling the bag with frosting and twisting the opening on top shut, squeeze the bag with even pressure starting in the middle of the cupcake. Make circles of frosting around the cupcakes until you reach the outside edge. If you prefer extra frosting, keep swirling on top of the first layer of frosting with increasingly smaller circles until you reach a point in the middle. Enjoy!
More Cakes and Cupcakes to Try
- Milk and Honey™ Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chai Tea Latte Cake
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake
- Coffee Infused Cake with Mocha Frosting
- Christmas Tree Cake
- Chocolate Cappuccino Cake
Sangiovese Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup + 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp Celtic sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 cup Sangiovese
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
Frosting
- 4 oz salted butter (softened)
- 300 g powdered sugar
- 5 Tbsp Sangiovese
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners,
- In a large bowl, sift the cocoa powder, flour, starch, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
- Then add the vanilla, vinegar, wine, and oil. Use a wooden spoon to gently mix all the ingredients. Only stir until you can no longer see the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
- Fill each well in the cupcake tin ⅔ full and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes rest for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the softened butter, powdered sugar, and wine.
- Start mixing on low speed and scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically.
- Once the powdered sugar is mixed in, increase speed to medium-high and whip the frosting until it is light and fluffy.
- To decorate, fit a piping bag with Wilton tip 1M and fill the bag with frosting.
- Starting in the middle of each cupcake, squeeze the bag and swirl the frosting in circles until you reach the edge.
You had me at “Sangiovese” 😉
they look great!!!
Thank you so much!! 😊🍷