As someone with German heritage by both birth and marriage, I feel almost obligated to love the “Gugelhupf” form (or Bundt/Bundlette to us Americans)! Add to that, the first time I experienced mulled wine (or Gluehwein) was living in Germany and visiting a Christmas market for the first time. Needless to say, I was hooked – anytime I have Gluehwein since then, it instantly takes me back. I even invariably feel a little “homesick” for the experience and that time in my life.

Interestingly, when I was looking for Gugelhupf recipes in the original German, I found that there are quite a few “Mini-Gugelhupf” recipe books out there. So I landed on one of them that had a recipe for Red Wine mini-Gugelhupfe, which I thought could be the perfect option to use mulled wine instead of just plain red wine.

And I really think it worked perfectly. Even when just sampling the cake while it was still cooling, and after I added the mulled wine glaze on the top, I really got that sense of warming in my throat and chest that you get when you drink a warm mug of mulled wine. That, and the whiff of spice and a little orange when you just smell them coming out of the oven, and taste when you eat them….well, it all just worked perfectly together from my perspective.

I used a mini fluted pan I found at Michaels for this one – in Christmas red and on sale this holiday season. A little baking spray is all it takes for the cakes to come out cleanly. Though I recommend taking a brush and making sure the spray gets into all the nooks and crannies.

I also noticed that I ended up with a few little holes in my cake, which I attribute to not sort of working the batter in enough in the mini-forms.

By the time I had the glaze on, however, you couldn’t tell, so I thought it all worked out regardless!

Because this is an original German recipe, the ingredients are listed by weight. Which, as any good baker knows, is a better way to measure one’s ingredients for a baked good, so hopefully everyone has a good kitchen scale they can use!

This makes for a beautiful addition to any Christmas afternoon tea table. The spice and orange go well with a spiced black tea, which is my tea of choice at this time of year. I’m always trying new flavor-infused black teas – and my favorites are those that feature some citrus, cinnamon, sometimes saffron. Harrod’s, Fortnums, Bettys (in York), and my current favorite from the Brew Tea Co. (the Oh Christmas Tea blend) are all good ones to give a try. But most tea shops have one or more versions of Christmas teas that would go well with these mini-Gugelhupfe, and I strongly encourage everyone to test a few and find your favorite.

This cake has a tight crumb, but is still nice and light to eat, and the bit of glaze on the top is just the right ratio of cake to icing. Just a few white sprinkles and Emma Bridgewater Christmas tableware also add a lovely festive note – enjoy!

Mulled Wine Mini-Gugelhupf Cakes

  • Servings: 24 mini-bundts
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 250 g. all-purpose flour
  • 150 g. granulated sugar
  • 170 g. butter (if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt)
  • 8 g. (1/2 packet in Germany) or just under 2 tsp. (1.8) baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla or vanilla bean paste (or 1 packet of German vanilla sugar)
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon (you can do 1+1/2 tsp, but I like the extra punch of cinnamon)
  • Zest of one orange (optional, but for me the zest reinforces the authentic “mulled-ness” of the flavor!)
  • 4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 120 ml. mulled wine (already mulled)
  • For the icing: 125 g. powder sugar and 2-3 Tbsp. mulled wine (add more or less sugar or wine to get a thick icing that drips over the sides, but isn’t too thin that it doesn’t sit on top at the end). Garnish with favorite sprinkles as desired.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (if needed) – and set aside.

Whip the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whip until well integrated. Alternately add the flour mixture and mulled wine, fully integrating after each addition until you have a nice smooth batter.

Spray your mini-Gugelhupf/Bundt form with baking spray; you may take a brush to just make sure it gets in all the nooks and crannies of the mold. Fill the mold about 3/4 full. Bake for 7-10 minutes (check doneness when a toothpick comes out cleanly).

Once the cakes have cooled, mix the powder sugar and mulled wine together to get a smooth and creamy, slightly thick icing. It should be thick enough that it drips over the top but not completely all the way down. I found it easiest to get a nice look by using a tipless piping bag and just cutting a large-ish hole to drip over each mini-cake. Add additional sprinkles for garnish, as desired. Serve and enjoy!

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