This Wine Cake recipe is full of flavor and super easy to make. It tastes like Christmas and can be served at breakfast or for dessert.
It's one of my favorite holiday traditions but it's so tasty I make it all year long! And best of all, it's starts from a boxed cake mix!
This post was first published on December 8, 2014. I've updated it to include better instructions and more helpful information.
Jump to:
I'm a white wine lover (Here are my 5 tasty bottles of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that are under $20 that I drink ALL the time). So when I first heard of Sherry Wine Cake, I was all, "Hell yes!"
But I didn't know much about sherry wine. Since the first time I made this straight out of the 70's dessert, I've grown to love fortified wine.
And it's complex flavor is really the best for this recipe.
It's the perfect wine cake recipe for Christmas and has become a holiday tradition and one of my all-time favorite easy desserts (close behind is my Brown Sugar Pie! YOU GUYS! It's a must!)
Because who doesn't want to eat a wine bundt cake?!
Why This Recipe Works
Wine cake seems like the perfect girl's night dessert idea (and it is). But when you taste it, you realize it's the perfect Christmas breakfast idea.
The nutmeg makes this cake recipe a perfect holiday cake. (Want even more nutmeg? Make my Nutmeg Cake!)
Of course, you can eat it other times of the day too, (it would be fantastic after dinner with a cup of coffee).
Don't worry if you have kids, most of the alcohol cooks out during baking and you are left with a super flavorful, moist bundt cake (and no boozy burn on the back of your throat).
I don't let my kids try all of my alcohol infused cupcakes, but this cake is fine.
The sherry adds a depth of flavor to the cake that is really lovely. There is sometimes a warm almond-like note and, of course, other warm spices.
This wine cake recipe with sherry doesn't have frosting. A simple dusting of powdered sugar is all you need to finish this dessert.
It reminds me of snow. Sadly, it's the only snow we see in this part of Southern California.
If you are more of a red wine fan, try my Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Scroll down to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with full measurements and more detailed instructions.
I love recipes that start with a boxed cake mix as the base. It keeps things super quick and easy. And this recipe uses a cake mix.
The vanilla pudding gives it richness and helps boost the vanilla flavor of the cake. Then you add fresh nutmeg and sherry wine and magic happens.
There is nothing better than nutmeg in baked goods. Especially at the holidays.
Between this type of wine and the pudding, the cake is moist and flavorful!
Directions
In a mixing bowl, add the cake mix (not made, just the dry powder), vanilla pudding (again, not made, just the powder), oil and sherry wine.
Mix to combine.
With a hand mixer on medium, beat the batter. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each.
Then continue to beat for another 5 minutes after the last egg.
You could use a stand mixer but mine is hard to get to and I'm lazy.
Add the nutmeg and beat to combine.
Pour the batter into a prepared bundt pan.
A prepared pan typically means to butter and flour a pan so the cake won't stick. Again, I'm pretty lazy and I prefer to use the baking spray.
It hasn't failed me yet!
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Try not to overbake, but it should be cooked all the way through.
It will be a dark color, usually just past golden. It looks a bit like gingerbread to me.
Turn it out of the pan immediately and let cool completely.
I bought this bundt pan specifically for this sherry cake recipe. I can't believe I didn't have one before!
I love that it basically decorates the cake for you. I'm not that great with making pretty baked goods so this pan does all the heavy lifting which is awesome.
Sprinkle it with powdered sugar then eat your face off.
This delicious Christmas cake makes your house will smell AMAZING! It's all nutmeg and vanilla.
Top Tips
- If you don't have a bundt pan, this should work as a sheet cake in a 9 x 13 pan. Cook for about 30 minutes then check to see if you need to add any additional time.
- Not into wine? You can make my Cinnamon Rum Cake which is just as tasty!
- With this base cake recipe you can modify it to suit your dessert preferences. Some chopped pecans sound good? Add them! Want to serve it with a glaze? Make one! It's super versatile and always delicious.
- If the nutmeg makes it feel too much like Christmas, you can use smaller amount or skip it altogher to serve the rest of the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sherry is a fortified wine (it has added flavors and, typically, brandy). You do NOT want to use sherry cooking wine. It's not going to be drinkable on its own. It's not going to be the same quality and it isn't going to create a delicious cake that you'll want to cram in your face hole.
There are tons of different varieties of sherry wine to use for your Christmas cake. I grabbed cream sherry, but I've also used sherry that had some orange flavoring in it.
I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.
It comes in a variety of price points so choose what you feel comfortable with. And you can drink it over ice so it won't just sit around in your cupboard. Add a splash to some bourbon, yum!
Yes, you can use regular white wine (like I do in my Sangria Cupcakes) in this Wine Cake recipe but it will lose some of the complexity that the sherry brings. Sherry cake is delicious.
Store the sherry wine cake at room temperature in an air-tight container. Will last for a few days.
This is a great cake to bring to a holiday party because it is totally unexpected. It's straight out of the 70's and people LOVE anything nostalgic!
(This pink strawberry angel food cake dessert is my most pinned recipe because it reminds everyone of when their grandma used to make it!)
A wine bundt cake is also my go-to hostess gift during the holidays.
This Sherry Wine Cake is such a fun dessert idea! It's easy to make and even easier to eat! And it's the perfect thing to serve your guests at Christmas.
More nostalgic dessert ideas
- This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is so quick and easy to make! You won't believe the ridiculous flavor the butter and cake mix makes together!
- Old-fashioned Peppermint Chocolate Egg Creams are more refreshing than milkshakes and your kids will love them.
- Small Batch Cookie Bars are great to make when you have several children because they can make these however they want. Let them add their favorite toppings and leave off what they don't love.
White Wine Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces Yellow cake mix
- 3 ounce instant vanilla pudding
- ¾ cup oil
- ¾ cup Sherry wine I used a Cream Sherry
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated, if possible
- 4 eggs
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add dry cake mix and dry pudding. (not made, just the powder)
- Add oil and sherry wine.
- With a hand mixer beat on medium to mix well.
- Add in one egg at a time, beating in between each egg.
- Beat for about 5 more minutes after the last egg.
- Add nutmeg and mix well.
- Oil and flour a Bundt pan (or use spray like I do).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes and test.
- Watch carefully - do not over bake.
- Turn out of bundt pan immediately.
- Let cool completely.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Then eat your face off.
Joellen Resare says
Sharon, I have been making this cake since the 60’s, actually. I am a retired caterer, and I picked up a couple of tips from your commenters. Yes, add more nutmeg, definitely. However, NEVER dump a hot cake out of the pan. Ever. You need to give it time to set up. If you dump a hot cake, especially out of a bundt pan, you are bound to get half a cake. And that goes for brownies also, or any bar cookies. I would wait about 10 minutes. On the other hand, don’t let it get cold, you will have the same problem…sticking. And whoever mentioned cinnamon in a marble cake mix….Genius! Will definitely try that one.
Hello from another SOCal girl!
Vanessa says
This cake has been
Carey Mitchell says
This was my Mom's famous cake! I thought she only used three eggs though, so I used two baby eggs from my friend's backyard chickens (they try) and two more eggs. Always a big hit. Makes me miss my Mom. She dusted with powdered sugar and added a purple flower from the back yard in the middle.
Sharon Garofalow says
That purple flower sounds like such a sweet touch! This cake is so delicious. I love that it reminds you of your mom. :)
Ann Conover says
You can use apple sauce to any cake mix. Just use the same amount of apple sauce as oil and it will stay moist longer than oil.
Sharon Garofalow says
Thank you! Such a great tip!
Cristie says
This is so amazing. My mom always used cinnamon and a marble cake mix. Basically, in the box of yellow cake mix is a small packet of cocoa. When you are ready to place everything in the greased Bundt pan, you take maybe a 1/2 a cup of batter and mix it w/ cocoa packet then swirl it with a fork - into pan with the remaining better. Looks marbled and beautiful for serving. Yum, yum!
Sharon Garofalow says
That sounds delicious! I'm going to put that on my dessert bucket list! Thank you for sharing!
Doris Matthews says
I was given this beautiful bundt cake along with the hand-written recipe 50 yrs ago!
Along the way I misplaced that much used, much adored scrap of paper.
I was certain it was an ancient mystery that I could never exactly recapture from
my memory....and I was delightfully stunned when I came across a recipe for
Sherry Wine Cake!!! It's the very same as my "Christmas Bundt"
I am sooo happy, I plan to make at least 5 bundts, for gifts, this weekend.
NOW....the only difference is... I put in 2 TBLs ground NUTMEG.
(pungent fresh nutmeg would surely call for less)
Merry Christmas Cake everyone!
Sharon Garofalow says
I'm so glad you found it! I'm about to make one right now!!! Happy Holidays!
Irene says
My cake will be done in 10 minutes and it smells so good in this kitchen. I’m actually not making the cake for me I making it for a very good friend of mine but I’m also making dinner for her Saturday night so we will have some cake after dinner.
I only had white cake mix so I think it’ll work just as well. Thank you for the recipe!
Sharon Garofalow says
Oh good! Smells amazing, right?! I'm sure the white cake works too. Let me know how you like it! If you have time, I'd love it if you gave it a star rating on the recipe card in the post!! Thanks so much! I've made a similar cake with rum too! But this wine cake will always be my favorite!
Irene says
The cake was absolutely delicious but I have a question about something. Unless I read the instructions wrong it told me to take the cake immediately out of the bundt cake pan when it came out of the oven. Well that didn’t work because part of the top of the cake came off.
Did I do something wrong?
Sharon Garofalow says
Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that! I want to be clear that I do not consider myself a skilled baker so I don't have any idea about that! I started to do a little research and found this great video that might help you! https://youtu.be/6WlT52yr798 I'm going to watch it and then try the cake again to make sure I'm providing enough info! She said to wait about 5 minutes once you take it out of the oven before removing. And now I need to watch all her videos. :)
Sara says
You had me at booze in the cake... :)
Sharon Garofalow says
It's SO good!! You have to try it!
Tanya says
My grandmother made this all my life. It is one Christmas cake I look forward to. We also used chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and kahlua. It is delicious as well.
Sharon Garofalow says
It's so tasty! That chocolate version sounds AMAZING!!!!!
Doris says
Wow! I must try this, thanks!
Sharon Garofalow says
You'll love it!!!
Andrea Fellman says
This looks lovely! This would be perfect for any holiday occasion - thanks for sharing!
Julia says
Yum! I do not even own a bundt cake pan because I'm that domestically challenged, but these pictures alone have me drooling. It's just so pretty!!
Sharon Garofalow says
Ha! Thank you Julia! I bought the pan just for this cake. Because wine.
Laura says
Love me a good classic bundt cake! Especially one that says I can do it while my daughter naps (and have some sherry to drink while I am it!) Thanks for linking up!
Sharon Garofalow says
Ha! Oh, I remember nap time. The rush to get everything done or else sit still for once. :)
Melissa says
This looks awesome! It's totally 70s and I like that too. I wanna make it just to smell it.
Sharon Garofalow says
Its all about the nutmeg. I think I am going to have to make this one more time before winter is over.
Robin Haney says
Yes, use cream sherry for the wine cake. I keep the yellow cake mix, the instant vanilla pudding, cream sherry in my pantry at all times. It's a great cake to make in a pinch. I also use two teaspoons of ground nutmeg, but it's not freshly ground.
Sharon Garofalow says
It's that nutmeg that really makes this special. I only let myself make it once a year because I would make this ALL the time!