Chocolate Merlot Cake

By VickiC223

Ingredients

• For cake:
• 1 C unsalted butter room temp
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t van x
• 1/4 C applesauce
• 2 C + 1 T flour
• 3/4 C cocoa
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 3/4 C Merlot wine
• Frosting:
• 2 sticks, unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 C cocoa
• 2 t van x
• 5-6 C 10x sugar
• 1/2 C merlot wine

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350. Prep three round cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom & spray with PAM. Mix butter & sugar. Add eggs, then van x & applesauce. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon. Fold 1/3 of flour mixture into butter mix. Mix in 1/3 of wine. Continue this process two more times.
Pour batter into pans & bake 25 mins or tool toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans 20 mins before removing from pans.

Frosting:
Cream butter, cocoa & van x. Add 10 x alternating with merlot.
Ice cooled cake