Mulled Wine Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

For the mulled wine

• 10 cardamom pods
• 2 large star anise
• 3 pinches of mace or freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 250ml vegetarian medium-bodied red wine
• 150ml pomegranate juice (or any similar red fruit juice)
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

For the cake

• 50g unsalted butter, for greasing
• 500g plain white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• ¾ tsp ground ginger
• 250ml sour cream
• 175g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ -3 tsp vegetarian red food dye, depending on strength*
• 200g caster sugar
• 150g light soft brown sugar
• 6 medium free-range eggs
• 100g milk chocolate chips

for the cream cheese icing

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar
• 750g vegetarian full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

For the mulled wine and white chocolate icing

• 50g white chocolate, finely chopped
• ¼ -1 tsp vegetarian red food dye, depending on strength

To decorate

• A few sheets of edible gold leaf
• A few maraschino cherries with stems

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4.
2. To make the mulled wine: Roughly crush the spices in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. In a small saucepan, add the spices along with the wine, juice and sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a very low simmer. Leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Using a sieve, strain the mulled wine into a measuring jug. Discard the whole spices. There should be about 230ml of mulled wine. Top up with extra wine if it’s under this, as steps 5 and 9 require 200ml and 2 tbsp respectively. Set aside.
4. To make the cake: Grease 3 x 20cm cake tins with butter and line with non-stick baking parchment.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder, salt and spices.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together 200ml mulled wine, sour cream, melted butter, vanilla extract and red dye, until it forms a smooth batter.
7. In a third bowl, add the caster sugar and brown sugar, breaking up any lumps by hand. Add the eggs and whisk with an electric whisk for about 8 minutes, until thick and creamy. Sieve the flour mixture on top, then fold it in using a spatula or metal spoon, then fold in the mulled wine mixture until even.
8. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake tins and sprinkle the chocolate chips on one of them. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the cakes are coming away from the sides. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. To make the cream cheese icing: In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar using an electric whisk, until light and fluffy. Gently beat in the cream cheese, about 100g at a time. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge until needed.
10. To make the mulled wine and white chocolate icing: In a bowl, combine the chocolate and reserved 2 tbsp mulled wine. Heat gently in a pan or in the microwave for 20 seconds, repeating if necessary. The times will vary depending on the microwave power. Gently mix, until just smooth and combined. Mix in 50g of the separate cream cheese icing and add red dye to colour as required. Set aside.
11. To assemble the cake: Put the chocolate chip sponge on a serving plate, spread about a quarter of the cream cheese icing in an even layer, then repeat this with the next sponges on top. Spread a little of the cream cheese icing all over the sides of the cake in a thin, even layer to catch any loose crumbs. Leave in the fridge for 20 minutes and then do a final layer all over the cake with the remaining icing.
12. To decorate the cake: Add a few dots of the mulled wine icing around the cake and on the top. Smear by running a palate knife or blunt knife round the cake to create a ripple effect. Add some gold leaf to the sides of the cake. Finish with the maraschino or fresh cherries on top.