Red Wine Buttercream with Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Red Wine Buttercream is sweet with all the flavor depth of your favorite red wine, the perfect garnish for your favorite gluten free cupcake!

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Red, Red, Red Wine

Having a glass of red wine can be great for your health, but it has so many other delicious uses. I love using it to deglaze beef, or as a reduction.

I will admit, it’s not my favorite drink, but it is an excellent drink to cook with!

Red Wine Butter Cream

Generally, I am a fan of cream cheese icing; it has a little bit less sweetness than a traditional buttercream. Last year I shared my gluten free chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing with you. They are delicious, but I wanted to take them to the next level. Make them slightly more grown up.

Red Wine Buttercream is the perfect way to take a childhood favorite and turn it into an adult treat. The punch that the red wine gives this icing is divine.

The trick is to reduce the red wine- a lot. All that flavor, in concentrated form. Reducing the wine makes a delicious syrup.

I took a plate of these to my last MOPs meeting, and everyone loved them. The chocolate cupcakes are great but topped with the red wine buttercream; they are heaven!

Recipe Notes

Red Wine

Use your favorite red wine. Remember the flavor will be concentrated, only sweeter when mixed into the icing, so choose wine you like.

Gluten Free Flour

Use your favorite gluten free all purpose flour. I like to use GF Jules, but as long as it isn’t bean based, it should work well.

Chocolate Chips

I love putting chocolate chips in my chocolate cupcakes. This time I used some I got in my American Gluten Free Box, they were bittersweet, so it added a depth of flavor.

Dairy Free

The good news is that the cupcakes are dairy free! The bad news is it is a “buttercream” icing. I haven’t tried it with earth balance bars, but I have made buttercream with shortening before, and it does work so that it would be worth a try. Next time I make these, I will try it using earth balance bars and see how it goes!

What is your absolute favorite kind of cupcake?

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Red Wine Buttercream with Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

Red Wine Butter Cream

• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup softened butter

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup Gluten Free Flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup gluten free cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten free espresso powder optional
• 1/4 cup gluten free mini chocolate chips I use Enjoy Life- gluten and dairy free!
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Red Wine Buttercream

• Bring red wine to a boil, reduce heat to low and and allow to reduce for 15 to 20 minutes. It will be 2 to 3 tablespoons.
• Put in refrigerator and let cool completely.
• Beat softened butter.
• Add in powder sugar, beat until well combined.
• Beat in reduced red wine.

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Mix together dry ingredients.
• Add wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Using a quarter cup measuring cup, spoon into prepared baking dish.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool completely.
• Frost with red wine buttercream