What are wine desserts, you ask? They’re just what they sound like they would be — desserts made with wine. In most – but not all – cases, the alcohol cooks out, leaving you with deliciously decadent desserts that retain a bit (or a lot) of the wine/champagne flavor. You can use wine to make cakes, cookies, truffles, brownies, and even ice cream! So whatever your favorite category is, you’ll probably find a wine-infused dessert that fits it on this list. The only real question you need to ask yourself is, “Which of these delectable wine desserts do I want to try first?”
1. Wine Cake
I was a fully grown adult when I discovered wine cake, and once I tried it, I immediately lamented all the wasted years of my life, having not known it existed. Of course, I’m being dramatic, but this cake is so good that it deserves a little drama. It has this amazingly crispy outer crust — so crisp and buttery that it almost tastes caramelized. But somehow, and I don’t know how it’s possible, the inside of this dark bundt cake is even better. It’s pillowy soft, moist, and features the phenomenal taste and aroma of port wine. If you want to discover a new favorite dessert, try wine cake tonight.
2. Poached Pears in Wine
Despite how elegant and refined the dish looks, poached pears are one of the easiest wine desserts you can make. Prep time is only 8 minutes, and they take another 20 to cook. Plus, you’ll only need three ingredients to make them: pears, wine, and sugar. The pears become soft and tender, and the wine and sugar make a divine caramelized wine sauce. You’ll drizzle that sweet, aromatic sauce over your poached pears, then be sure to serve immediately, as the dish loses some of its oomph once it gets cold.
3. White Chocolate Champagne Truffles
These are truffles, through and through; they’re decadent, unbelievably sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth incredible. They also look stunning. The edible gold flakes are gorgeous against the smooth white chocolate coating, making these ideal for themed parties, weddings, and New Year’s Eve celebrations. Despite their panache and decadence, though, they take practically no effort to make. You’ll need only five ingredients and just 20 minutes to prep and cook them.
4. Moscato Truffles
These truffles are just as rich and indulgent, though the flavor is slightly different because champagne and Moscato are slightly different. They’re also sweeter, thanks to the outer coating of pure sanding sugar. Truthfully, if you’re a fan of truffles, you’ll probably love them both equally. The difference really comes down to the occasion. Moscato truffles, using this recipe, are easier to customize for certain holidays (red and green for Christmas, orange and black for Halloween, etc.). Of course, you could simply swap out champagne for the Moscato in this recipe (and vice versa) and decorate them the same way. Either way, they’re both truffles, and truffles are awesome. ‘Nuff said.
5. Red Wine Brownies
If you’re counting calories or carbs, choosing between dessert and an after-dinner drink can be challenging. With these red wine brownies, you won’t have to choose. You can have both! They’re boozy and supremely fudgy. They’re also crazy rich, so a little square should sate your entire chocolate craving. (Being satisfied by small portions always helps when cutting back!) I’ll be honest, of all the wine desserts on this list, these are my favorites.
6. Red Wine Ice Cream
When I make homemade ice cream, I like the process to be as effortless as possible, and that’s precisely what this recipe provides. It calls for only four ingredients – milk, sugar, heavy cream, and dry red wine – and you simply have to dump them in your ice cream maker and let it do its thing. It takes a bit of time, but there’s practically no effort involved whatsoever. Just remember, since you’re not actually cooking anything, the alcohol doesn’t cook out, leaving you with a light, tangy, refreshing ice cream that’s super soft and somewhat boozy. Yes, please! (Maybe not for the kiddos, though.)
7. Red Wine Hot Chocolate
You already know how perfect chocolate and red wine are together, so why not take it one step further and combine the two into one marvelous drink? This hot chocolate is thick, rich, decadent, and it smells as good as it tastes. Top it with whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, or anything else you like. It’s totally amazing.
8. Strawberry Moscato Layer Cake
Believe it or not, even though this absolutely stunning cake looks like something you’d buy at a fancy, upscale bakery, it takes only 45 minutes to make. And if you think its appearance is phenomenal, wait until you take that first bite! This cake is moist, plush, and almost indescribably delicious. You’ll make the batter with flavorful Moscato wine, and you’ll taste it in every bite. The frosting, made with strawberry puree, butter, powdered sugar, and shortening, is just as yummy.
9. Red Wine Dark Chocolate Fondue
It’s hard to improve on chocolate fondue, but it isn’t impossible. Underneath the rich, warm taste of dark chocolate, you’ll get hints of both raspberries and red wine. It gives the chocolate a sweetly tart flavor that tastes amazing with anything. You can use strawberries, pretzels, cookies, bananas, or something else to dip the fondue; it all tastes fantastic. If you’ve ever had a Ghirardelli Intense Dark Raspberry Radiance bar, you’ll have an idea how this tastes. The two aren’t exactly the same, but they’re pretty close.
10. Chocolate Red Wine-Filled Cupcake
Simply put, these chocolate red wine-filled cupcakes are nothing short of heavenly. Seriously, these things are… I can’t even begin to do them justice with a simple description, honestly. I could use a litany of adjectives and adverbs to describe them: divine, decadent, moist, fudgy, over-the-top fantastic, rich, sweet, gorgeous, delectable… The list could go on and on. But until you’ve taken the first bite out of this red wine ganache-filled, dark chocolate cupcake topped with raspberry whipped cream, you can’t possibly understand the magnitude of how perfect they are. No description I can give is good enough. These are, hands down, one of the best cupcakes you’ll ever eat. Click on a star to rate it!
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