Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes

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Ingredients

Assembly

40 g Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes (recipe 1)
57 g Merlot Buttercream (recipe 2)
fresh grapes (optional garnish)
mint leaves (optional garnish)

Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes

156 g Tree Top Apple Grape Flakes
22 g cocoa powder
57 g dark chocolate, 75-75%, chopped
113 g water, boiling
113 g Merlot wine
113 g butter, unsalted, softened
150 g granulated sugar
100 g eggs, large, room temperature
5 g vanilla
125 g all-purpose flour
7 g baking powder
1.15 g baking soda
1.50 g salt

Merlot Buttercream Frosting

113 g Tree Top Grape Bar Base
113 g Merlot wine
25 g granulated sugar
226 g butter, unsalted
360 g powdered sugar
1.50 g salt

Directions

Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 24 paper liners in cupcake pans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, dark chocolate and boiling water until smooth. Whisk in the wine and apple-grape flakes.

In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

To the butter mixture, add half the wine mixture, then half the dry ingredients, then rest of wine mixture and rest of dry ingredients. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.

Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Merlot Buttercream Frosting

In a small saucepan over medium heat, reduce wine, grape bar base and sugar until reduced to 1/3 cup. Cool completely.

With a standing mixer, cream the butter, powdered sugar and salt for 3 minutes. Slowly drizzle the grape wine reduction into the buttercream. Continue to whip until well mixed.

Transfer buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Proceed to frost cupcakes.