Baked & Buzzed: 50 Spirit-Infused Recipes for Better Flavors, Better Textures, and Happier Hours, written by Mike Johnson, features an innovative collection of sweet and savory treats incorporating a variety of spirits, beer, and wine. A few highlights include Brown Sugar Rum Cake, Margarita Macarons, Brown Butter Whiskey Brownies, Bourbon Apple Fritters, and Garlic Beer Cheesesticks. I will also be sharing his recipe for Red Wine Chocolate Cake following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson is a self-taught baker, recipe developer, food photographer and creator of the baking blog, Mike Bakes NYC.
His work has been featured in Bake from Scratch magazine, BuzzFeed, feedfeed, Food52, and more. He is currently based in New York City. Mike is also the author of Even Better Brownies and Simple Small-Batch Baking.
Baked & Buzzed
Mike begins Baked & Buzzed with a short introduction and a brief alcohol overview before jumping into the recipes. He covers favorite brands, uses, how they react in baked goods, and a few other tips to get started.
Chapters are divided according to type of treat: Spirits in Sponges: Cakes & Cupcakes; Cookies with a Kick; Booze-Infused Brownies & Bars; Quick & Yeasted Breads with a Boozy Twist; Chill & Cheerful: No-Bake Delights; Buzzed Bites: Savory Comfort Classics; and Finishing Touches. The contents page has a list of included recipes with page number for easy reference.
The photography is also provided by Mike. Every single treat is paired with a vibrant, full page photo of the finished product.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, yield, total time, ingredient tips, and other helpful instructions. Most also have a mocktail option with substitutions for the alcohol.
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
The Red Wine Chocolate Cake is the very first recipe in the book and the very first recipe I made after moving to our new home!
This cake incorporates red wine into both the batter and the ganache for quite the rich and indulgent treat perfect for entertaining or celebrating a special occasion.
Simply bring together the batter and bake in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven just until set. Allow to cool completely to room temperature before covering with the chilled red wine chocolate ganache.
The Red Wine Chocolate Cake is best the day it is baked and assembled. Mike states it can be prepared ahead of time, then wrapped tightly after cooling and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to three months. Bring to room temperature before topping with the red wine chocolate ganache.
A Few Red Wine Chocolate Cake Tips
Our wonderful sellers gave us a bottle of Château Haut Landon 2022 Bordeaux Supérieur as a housewarming gift and that is what I used in the cake and the ganache frosting. Mike recommends trying your favorite red wine. He has tested with merlot, pinot noir, and cabernet.
Bake just until set and a few crumbs stick to a toothpick inserted in the center. The toothpick shouldn’t be completely dry.
The cake may sink slightly in the center after removing from the oven. This is normal as the cocoa powder is not as sturdy to hold up to the moisture.
Avoiding alcohol? Swap the red wine for red grape or pomegranate juice.
More Spirit-Infused Treats
I also made Kahlúa Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Bourbon Chocolate Chip Blondies, Cheddar Bay Beer Bread, and Bourbon Bacon Jam Crostini.
The Kahlúa Chocolate Chunk Cookies are quite the upgrade from the classic chocolate chip cookie with the addition of Kahlúa, espresso powder, and 70% percent dark chocolate pieces. I especially loved Mike’s description: “perfect for when you need a cookie with a little more character.” The blend of all-purpose and bread flour also creates a more sturdy, chewy texture to hold all the flavors.
For another fun chocolate chip variation, I made the Bourbon Chocolate Chip Blondies from the Booze-Infused Brownies & Bars chapter. These indulgent bars come together in less than an hour with a blend of bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, and just a little sea salt.
While reviewing Simple Small-Batch Baking, I tried Mike’s copycat recipe for Cheddar Bay Biscuits. In Baked & Buzzed, he has featured a version in loaf form with the fusion of that Cheddar Bay flavor and a quick beer bread! The bread is filled with garlic powder, onion powder, Cheddar, and beer, then finished with a seasoned parsley butter.
When first flipping through the book, I was immediately drawn to the Bourbon Bacon Jam Crostini. These little appetizers are both sweet and savory with a homemade bourbon-spiked maple bacon jam and brie on toasted baguette slices.
Baked & Buzzed is a fantastic pick for those interested in both baked and no-bake treats with the incorporation of spirits, wine, or beer in every bite. Recipes range from easy biscuits and muffins that come together in less than an hour to popsicles, ice cream, and bars requiring a bit more rest/time to set. Every season is covered with springtime carrots, light and refreshing summer desserts, fall apples and pumpkins, coquito and other comforting holiday favorites, plus everything in-between.
Most of the ingredients are readily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items may require further searching such as ladyfingers, lemon extract, turbinado sugar, mini marshmallows, poppy seeds, and diastatic malt powder.
Red Wine Chocolate Cake Recipe
Excerpt from Baked & Buzzed
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Red Wine Chocolate Cake:
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (73 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (35 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (110 milliliters) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 milliliters) vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (210 milliliters) red wine
For the Red Wine Chocolate Ganache:
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) red wine
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon (5 grams) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 ounces (99 grams) semisweet chocolate finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
To Make the Red Wine Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
- Grease an 8-inch (20-centimeter) cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper. The parchment paper helps the cake release seamlessly from the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside the bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, vanilla, and red wine until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk until the ingredients are just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 35 to 37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached.
- Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cake must be completely cool before it is frosted.
To Make the Red Wine Chocolate Ganache:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the wine, heavy cream, cocoa powder, and sugar until they come to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the chocolate, butter, and salt until they are combined.
- The ganache will thicken as it cools; stick it in the fridge for an hour or 2, until it's thick enough to frost the cake.
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