Top Secret Recipes….Revealed!

Earlier this morning I posted a picture of a birthday cake I made for a friend stationed here with her husband & family at Fort Riley, who are also from North Carolina. I figured I’d show some NC love and make a Cheerwine cake with a twist. My friend is allergic to walnuts and I couldn’t top her cake with the normal Cheerwine icing, so I made a new special icing to frost two 9 inch cakes.

This recipe is no secret for Cheerwine loving fans. The recipe has been posted before on their website along with their Holiday Punch, BBQ sauce and ice cream recipes, but they’ve disappeared. Have no fear, this Cheerwine addict has them all.

For the basic Cheerwine cake recipe, you'll need....

CheerDevil Cake

1 cup Cheerwine*

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

1 teaspoon almond extract

Prepare cake mix as directed on the package, substituting 1 cup of Cheerwine for the water and add almond extract. Pour into a 9x13 greased and floured pan. Bake as directed. Pour frosting over hot cake with recipe below.

Cheerwine Icing

1/3 cup Cheerwine*

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup margarine

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat Cheerwine, margarine and cocoa together over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and blend until smooth. Stir in almond extract and mix in chopped nuts. Cool slightly and spread over cake. *Diet Cheerwine can be substituted for the cake and icing in either recipe.

Here’s my little Ayden on his second birthday enjoying a classic Cheerwine cake my husband made for him.

Now for the enhanced version of Cheerwine Cake and new creamy icing, I made a few substitutions. Starting with the cake mix, I replaced the vegetable oil with the same amount of all natural applesauce and proceeded with the basic Cheerwine cake recipe. This makes you feel a bit less guilty while enjoying all this chocolaty goodness infused with Cheerwine. Then grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans and bake as directed. Let the cakes cool completely and then frost with the icing.

I went in a completely different direction with the new icing. The regular icing is very runny and sets up after an hour or so. I opted for a semi-homemade Grandma Strick inspired chocolate icing that would be creamy and ice two 9 inch cakes.

Creamy Chocolate Cheerwine Icing

1 container creamy home-style milk chocolate icing

½ teaspoon almond extract*

¼ cup of Cheerwine*

4 tablespoons of powdered sugar*

Starting with a container of creamy home-style milk chocolate icing from the store, place in bowl of stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Add the almond extract and Cheerwine. Mix well and add powdered sugar to thicken it back up. Frost cake and place it in fridge for an hour to set up completely before serving.

*These amounts are estimation, add to taste and desired consistency of icing.

If you can’t find Cheerwine near you, try the Cheerwine locator online. The basic recipe uses almost an entire 8 oz can for the cake mix and icing. Enjoy!