Wine Lover's Cake

My colleague, Meghan Southworth, introduced me to wine cake at a staff meeting a couple years ago. I was hooked! I couldn't find her recipe so I did some searching and found several variations of wine cake. I created a hybrid version from several of the recipes I found and it was fabulous.  I made one for Nate's belated birthday celebration last week. I think this is my favorite cake, so easy to make, and super moist!

Wine Lover's Cake

Cake:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
4 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Glaze:
4 Tbsp of a vegetable oil spread like Olivio
1/3 cup of brown sugar
2 T water
3 T of white wine

1. Put all of the cake ingredients in a bowl and mix with electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until thoroughly mixed.
2. Grease a bundt pan (or a sheet cake pan if you prefer). Pour cake batter into pan.
3. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for one hour if using a bundt pan (or 5-10 min. more if needed- top should be lightly browned and knife inserted should come out clean). If you use a sheet cake pan, adjust time accordingly.
4. Let cake cool and remove from pan once cake is cool.
5. To make glaze, bring all ingredients to a boil except for the wine. Boil for 5 minutes then add wine. Pour glaze on cake and spread evenly. I like to "paint" the sides with glaze using a pastry brush. Let glaze set, then serve.