Cherry Wine Delight
Second Place Winner - 2013 Missouri State Fair (Just Desserts Contest)
Danielle Walk, Sedalia, Missouri

Cake:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) package cherry gelatin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup cherry wine
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup cherry preserves

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup cherry wine

Icing:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9-inch cake pan. Place pecans in bottom of pan.  Combine dry cake mix, dry gelatin, oil, cherry wine, eggs and cherry preserves in large mixer bowl; beat with electric mixer until well mixed, about 2 minutes. Gently pour batter into pan over pecans.  Bake in 350-degree oven 50 minutes, or until cake tests done.

While cake is baking, prepare glaze. Combine powdered sugar, melted butter and cherry wine in large bowl; stir until well mixed.

When cake is done, remove from oven but leave in pan. Poke holes in cake with a wooden pick.  Drizzle half of the glaze over cake, letting glaze soak into holes. Leave cake in pan for 30 minutes, then remove cake from pan and transfer to serving plate to cool completely.

While cake is cooling, prepare icing.  Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and the remaining half of the glaze in bowl; mix until smooth.  Spread icing over cooled cake.  Refrigerate until serving time.

Yield: 1 cake; 8 to12 servings.