Grape Harvest Winemaker's Cake
A rustic, moist spiced cake studded with juicy Thomcord grapes. A nod to the classic Italian-American vendemmia (grape harvest) cake, updated with a seedless, extra-sweet grape variety.
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- Parchment paper
- Medium mixing bowl (for dry ingredients)
- Large mixing bowl or stand mixer (for batter)
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Wire cooling rack
- Toothpick (for doneness test)
- Fine mesh sieve (for dusting powdered sugar)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened 170g
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided 200g
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk 120ml
- ¼ cup dry red wine (or substitute grape juice) 60ml
- 2 ½ cups Thomcord grapes, halved, divided about 12oz
- 1 tbsp flour for tossing grapes
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
- Cream butter with ¾ cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk/wine mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
- Toss 2 cups of the halved grapes with 1 tbsp flour, then fold gently into the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter remaining ½ cup grapes over the surface, cut side up, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp sugar.
- Bake 50–55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden.
- Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and release the springform. Cool completely on a wire rack before dusting with powdered sugar.
Notes
Thomcords are seedless, so no need to pit, feel free to leave whole or halve them. If you can only find regular Concords, halve and seed them first. The wine is subtle; feel free to swap in Concord grape juice for a kid-friendly version.