Yes, You Can Drink Wine With Birthday Cake. It is Birthday Week on The Kitchn. This set me thinking about how easy (or difficult) it is pairing wine and birthday cake. It is probably not something you automatically consider, but believe me, it can be fun. Chocolate, coffee, vanilla, strawberry, or coconut cream — birthday cakes come in all sorts of flavors and textures — so there is a lot of scope to have fun playing around with different wines. What are some of your favorites? There is really only one 'golden rule' for me when choosing wines to match cake. The wine should be sweeter than the cake; and you should try to match flavor intensity. For example, a rich port would kill a delicate Pavlova. With that in mind here are some of my favorite birthday cake pairings: Wines to Pair With Birthday Cake Flavors Vanilla layer cake – A white VDN (Vin Doux Naturel) from France works really well. Beaumes de Venise or Rivesaltes — the pure, bright stone fruit flavors and floral notes are a perfect balance for the simple vanilla flavors.

Chocolate Ganache – 5-year-old Malmsey Madeira — the sweetest style of Madeira. With its high acidity it is a perfect foil for the richness of chocolate. Red Velvet Cake — A red VDN (Vin Doux Naturel) such as Maury or Banyuls — again from France. top 5 wine coolersExtremely sweet, these wines have rich, heady aromas and flavors of macerating red fruit which, both contrast and compliment the red velvet flavors.best wine to have with dessert Strawberry Shortcake – Here, lightness calls for something less powerful such as a Demi-sec Champagne, or maybe an extra-dry Prosecco. best flavor of wineThe bubbles offer refreshment and a palate-cleansing sensation that marries well with the strawberries in this cake.best way to store red wine once opened

Rich Fruit Cake – Baking spices, dried fruits call for something like a Vin Santo, whose flavors of dried figs, nuts and sweet spices truly compliment any fruit cake. Coconut Cream Cake – Such a rich cake calls for a wine with high acidity such as a Tokaji or late harvest Riesling. best wine festivals ukThe citrus marmalade, stone fruit and honey flavors brighten and lift the rich creamy coconut.best wine to drink with chocolate Pavlova – Light and creamy Pavlova calls for something on the more delicate side. good cheap red wine nzMoscato d'Asti with its slight sparkle comes straight to mind, the peachy, floral notes a lovely compliment to the soft marshmallow center of the meringue.buy chinese wine uk

Ice Cream Cake – Any of you who have read my previous posts on dessert wines know that my favorite pairing with ice cream is Pedro Ximenex (PX) – the decadently sweet sherry wine. Poured over the ice-cream cake – absolutely divine.food and wine best hotel bars I would love to hear about some of your favorite wines with birthday cake — or whether you prefer just water. Until next week, enjoy! Mary Gorman-McAdams, DWS, is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant. She hold the Diploma in Wine & Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), and is a candidate in the Master of Wine Program. Related: Delicious Dessert Wines for Dessert WeekYou know what you deserve? You know what you also deserve? Delicious cake and wine together. and Laura Burgess, a Vivino Partner Sommelier, came up with delicious cake and wine pairings for your next celebration.

Because you don't need a celebration to enjoy cake and wine, really. Burgess understands that cake might not be the go-to dessert when it comes to wine, but she wants you to know that when the two come together it's delicious. She says that the key to these pairings is to pair the wine with the cake frosting, because that will change the flavor of your dessert more than anything. Let's get to it. The signature cake of basic women around the world, red velvet is a damn delight. With its smooth texture and cream cheese frosting, it's delicious. Burgess suggests pairing this with a Pinot Noir to accent the chocolate undertones in red velvet cake with cherry and berry flavors. Burgess recommends Red Velvet cake with Gérard Bertrand Réserve Spéciale Pinot Noir. Your next birthday dessert and drink situation has been figured out for you. Burgess says that Funfetti cake demands wine that's fun and can revive a sugar-stained palate. "Delicate, creamy strawberry flavors are refreshing, and bubbles literally cleanse the palate," she says.

Burgess recommends Funfetti cake with Patrick Bottex La Cueille Bugey-Cerdon. "Red blends, especially domestic ones that combine a range of varieties like Cabernet, Grenache, and Syrah, steal the show," Burgess says. She says the combination of chocolate-covered cake slices and red wine is like "a spa day for your palate." Burgess recommends chocolate devil's food cake with Chappellet Mountain Cuvée. Pro tip for pairing vanilla cake and wine: Bottles labelled "off-dry"— which are slightly sweet — are key, because they'll bring out the best flavors in the vanilla cake. Burgess recommends pairing white wedding cake that has vanilla frosting with Château Ste. Michelle Riesling. Burgess says "there's just nothing like fluffy cheesecake at parties, dinners, or [for] Netflix marathons." She says dessert wines — in particular whites like Sauternes and Cerons — work best. "The high fat content in cheesecake begs for a wine with acid to keep things refreshing," she says.