Red Wine Velvet and a Great Friend

I love my friend Stephanie and yesterday was her birthday!

I met Stephanie just about two years ago. It's hard to meet people when you are older. No longer able to rely on school or school activities to find similar interests. Left to our own devices I feel like we might have a nice conversation with a new person or know of someone we wish we could hang out with more but how do you take the step to actually make new friends as an adult?!

I used to work with Stephanie's boyfriend at a local brewery pub. One night lots of us were hanging around after work, drinking our shift drinks and talking about going out to another spot down the street. Somehow I began talking with Stephanie who had shown up to go out with the group. We chatted at the pub, we chatted down the street, and we chatted in the bar whilst everyone played Big Buck Hunter and Golden Tee. We clicked as women - she seemed like a long time friend to me already. So just like a young child I believe I said something like "I really like you, we should be friends." And there it is.

The other night while Stephanie and I were chatting away she mentioned that she enjoys wine from the Cupcake Vineyards. While it is a bottle that is very affordable and available, I tucked that note away. As her birthday drew nearer I had decided to make her some kind of birthday treat. Of course while perusing through Pinterest I saw a pin for a Red Wine Velvet Cake and I just knew that they had to be made. 

I clicked on the pin and nothing was attached. I searched google and found a couple of recipes. Google being google though made an amazing link for me. When I typed in Red Velvet Wine Cake it popped up the website for Cupcake Vineyards whom happen to have a bottled red called Red Velvet. Now these must be made and they must be made for Stephanie. The recipe was very delicious - I ate several cupcakes (before frosting). For Steph, I frosted them with a simple cream cheese frosting.

For Stephanie's birthday I took her to get a mani/pedi. She works hard and needs more pampering! I intended on having wine leftover for us to drink at the nail shop but the recipe took almost the whole bottle.

Red Wine Velvet Cake

Makes 1 cake, to serve 16 to 20

• 18 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
• 2 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 1/4 cups red wine
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

To make cake: Preheat oven to 325°. Line the bottom of three 9 round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease parchment and sides of pan. Place butter in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Add brown and granulated sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk and beat until incorporated, then add red wine and vanilla. (Don't worry if the batter looks a little uneven and grainy.)

In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Sift dry mixture over wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold in remaining dry mixture with a rubber spatula.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean. The top of each cake should be shiny and smooth. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on a rack.