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. Extremely sweet, these wines have rich, heady aromas and flavors of macerating red fruit which, both contrast and compliment the red velvet flavors. Strawberry Shortcake – Here, lightness calls for something less powerful such as a Demi-sec Champagne, or maybe an extra-dry Prosecco. The bubbles offer refreshment and a palate-cleansing sensation that marries well with the strawberries in this cake. 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. The citrus marmalade, stone fruit and honey flavors brighten and lift the rich creamy coconut.

Pavlova – Light and creamy Pavlova calls for something on the more delicate side. Moscato 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. 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. good wine for vegetarian foodPoured over the ice-cream cake – absolutely divine.beer and wine box I would love to hear about some of your favorite wines with birthday cake — or whether you prefer just water.best wine boxes 2015 uk Until next week, enjoy!glass of wine size uk

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 Week I don’t usually drink white wine but I try to keep some in the house for guests and recipes. buy wine cooler bagAny time I open a bottle and don’t finish it all, I whip up one of these cakes to make use of the rest of the wine.best online wine and spirits And for the record, it’s not that I don’t like wine (I love it – especially red), it’s that we beer drinkers drink at a certain “speed”. buy under counter wine coolerWhile my brain knows I can’t drink as much wine as beer, my body forgets and I end up with a lampshade on my head on the neighbor’s diving board.top rated wine of the month club

I got this recipe from a truck driver named Don. And it’s one my very favorite cake recipes. It’s moist and rich and the ever-so-slight hint of wine pairs perfectly with the vanilla and warm cinnamon in the cake. Don and I used to work together a long time ago and both shared a love of good food. He told me about this cake his wife makes and brought me a handwritten recipe for it (which I still have). best wine for winter in indiaI've made this many times over the years and I always think about Don when I make it. I remember two things most about Don: he appreciated good food and he loved buying his wife nice things (pretty sure he kept the Coach outlet in business). This isn't one of those recipes that will blow up Pinterest because it doesn't have oreos or salted caramel or peanut butter cups or browned butter or candied bacon or any of the other popular buzz words but it is so moist and delicious and perfect!

1/2 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup dry white wine (I typically use sauvignon blanc or chardonnay) 1 box yellow cake mix 1 3.5-oz (4-serving) box instant vanilla pudding mix 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup powdered sugar Grease a standard-sized bundt pan; Combine brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, vegetable oil, wine and water in a large bowl or stand mixer and beat until well combined. Mix in cake mix and pudding mix until smooth and creamy. Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Just before cake is done, make the icing. Combine wine and powdered sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil icing for 2 minutes then remove from heat (icing will be thin). When cake is done, remove from oven and pour hot icing over hot cake, leaving cake in the pan. Cool cake completely in pan then invert onto a plate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.