Wine may not be the first beverage that comes to mind when having cake, but with a little knowledge, wine can elevate your dessert to new heights. And you don’t have to stick with just dessert wines. A good rule of thumb is that you will want the intensity of the flavour in the cake to match the intensity of the wine. We have some great recommendations to wow you and your guests the next time you serve cake.
Best Red Wine With Cake
Red wines are a wonderful complement to rich, chocolate cakes.
- Cabernet Sauvignon: full bodied, high in tannins, with notes of black fruit and cedar.
- Pinot Noir: a food favourite; medium bodied with notes of cherry, mushroom and vanilla.
- Port: Rich and sweet with notes of berry, caramel and chocolate.
- Lambrusco: Strong berry flavour, acidic with bubbles.
- Montepulciano: medium-bodied with high acidity and notes of plum and cherry.
Best White Wine With Cake
White wines should be fruity and acidic, but use caution when choosing sweet varieties.
- Riesling: Light, sweet, crisp and highly acidic. Known for being food-friendly.
- Sauternes: sweet dessert wine with notes of tropical fruit and butterscotch.
- Champagne: Bubbly, floral, and fruity with notes of citrus, peach, or cherry.
- Chardonnay: dry, buttery, and oaky with moderate tannins and acidity.
- Rosé: bright, crisp acidity with strong berry flavour.
Pairing Wine With Various Types of Cake
Wine With Chocolate Cake
Port is always an excellent choice with chocolate, but Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon also complement chocolate quite well. A chilled Lambrusco is also a great choice.
Wine With Vanilla Cake
There is no better match for vanilla cake than a full-bodied, buttery Chardonnay.
Wine With Carrot Cake
Sherry is slightly sweet but has enough of a dry finish to balance the cream cheese frosting.
Wine With Strawberry ShortCake
A sparkling Rosé or Champagne will highlight the flavour of the strawberries and complement the vanilla cake.
Wine With Red Velvet Cake
Fruit forward reds will really bring out the rich flavours of the red velvet cake. Try a Pinot Noir or Montepulciano.
Wine With Lemon Cake
A bubbly Prosecco is a lovely complement to the light, crisp flavour of lemon cake.
Wine With Cheesecake
Cheesecake can be tricky as it comes in a wide variety of flavours, but generally, a Sauternes or Riesling will be a good match.
Wine With Spice Cake
Tawny Port is sweet, with notes of baking spices, nuts, and dried fruit, which makes it a perfect match for spice cakes.
Wine With Pink Champagne Cake
You could always pair Champagne with a Champagne cake, but to elevate it and bring some complexity, try a Chablis or Chardonnay.
Wine With Apple Cake
The flavours of baking spices and butterscotch in Sauternes make it a great wine pairing for apple cake.
Wine With Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting
This may surprise you, but Bordeaux is a perfect pairing for yellow cake with chocolate frosting. The berry notes in the wine complement the chocolate frosting without overpowering the cake.
