How to Host a Wine Tasting Birthday Party
Hello, hello! Lauren here from LaurenKelp.com & today we are mixing things up! Don’t worry, you will still get your delicious recipe and wine pairing combo you’ve grown to love, it’s just we are adding in a bit more of an entertaining flair for today’s post!
As you get older, celebrating birthday’s tend to get more and more complicated. But we want to do away with all of that and get back to having a good time. That is why we are showing you how to host your very own Wine Tasting birthday bash!
Why is it that the older you get the more complicated birthday parties seem. It has become kind of a cumbersome thing to wrestle the gang together to celebrate a birthday and we think that is silly.
We want to get back to those days of pinatas, goodie bags, and a good time had by all – only, with an adult twist!
My favorite thing about a wine tasting party is the prep. That might sound weird, but it’s fun to put a big beautiful board together full of different fruits, cheeses, proteins, and treats. My approach to building a beautiful spread is to pack it all on.
That way your guests can try new flavor pairings, experience something unique, and it makes finding the perfect wine pairing that much more fun.
Having multiple boards all over your space allows your guests to experience the interactive wine tasting aspect on their own pace.
For an extra level of fun, serve the wine in black glasses or tie brown paper bags around the bottle so you can’t tell what bottle is which. This breaks down stereotypes and allows you to experience new flavors in a more open way. Pretty cool, huh?
Now, what would a birthday party be without some cake?! Lucky for you, dessert is my favorite part of the celebration so we are sharing this delicious Dark Chocolate Olive Oil cake. Serve up some slices with a beautiful glass of Kendall-Jackson Merlot and you’ll experience a true match made in heaven.
It’s smooth, delicious, and the flavors between the wine and the cake become the best of friends right in front of you. You might just want to keep an extra bottle on hand, in case of seconds!
- 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped in small pieces
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- a pinch of sea salt
- 5 large eggs separated
- powdered sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly coat an 8-inch cake pan with coconut oil spray.
- In a medium sized saucepan, slowly heat the chocolate until melted, stirring occasionally.
- Once the chocolate is completely melted, add the olive oil and ⅔ cup of the sugar and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and evenly combined.
- Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat, and stir in the ground almonds, a pinch of sea salt and the egg yolks.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites and ⅓ of the remaining sugar. Beat on high until the egg whites are no longer clear. Add another ⅓ of the sugar and continue to beat on high until the egg whites start to increase in volume. Add the remaining ⅓ of the sugar and beat on high until medium peaks have formed (firm peaks with tips that droop slightly).
- Slowly fold the chocolate mixture into the egg white mixture, being careful to not lose too much air.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.
- The top of your cake will deflate and crack, don't worry--this is supposed to happen.
- Once cake is removed from pan, use a sifter to top with powdered sugar.
- Serve with fresh berries and a glass of K-J Merlot!
For food and wine pairing tips, visit the Entertaining section of our website.
