I poured a barleywine on top of half of a US-05 yeast cake from an IPA. It took it from 1.109 to 1.022 (11.45% ABV) with absolutely no effort in about 10 days. If you want something foolproof, this is what I would do.
Also, make sure you oxygenate well and I would also use some yeast nutrients in your winter warmer. If you haven't made the beer that the cake will come from, some yeast nutrients there also couldn't hurt.