Champagne Cupcakes!!!

What a better way to kick off the new year than with a recipe for champagne cupcakes!

Over the holiday we had a “cupcakes and cocktail” themed bridal shower for our newly engaged friend Meredith. 

I made 3 types of cupcakes, two of which will be shared in pt. 2 of this entry; however the champagne cupcakes were the party favorite.

I did not run into any problems with this batch of cupcakes. As you can see in the picture below they baked perfectly! 

In order to be prepared and ahead of the game I made the frosting the night before, and kept it sealed in the fridge overnight.

Unfortunately the icing was not defrosting as I had hoped the next morning, so I had to re-whip the icing in my mother’s kitchen aid mixer.

As you can see the icing looks a bit frothy/thick due to re-whipping….but this did not interfere with its perfectly sweet taste. 

I wish you could have seen the reactions on some of the guests faces when biting into this cupcake…

The champagne is featured delightfully, but not overwhelmingly.  The texture is nice and light.  And although the frosting may not fit in your New Year’s resolutions, it’s an unbelievably delicious way to begin the year!

These are definitely my best so far, and will be a go-to for any grand celebration to come!

Champagne Cupcakes with Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe
(Cupcake recipe adapted from AllRecipes) 

Champagne Cupcake Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup butter

1 ½ cups white sugar

¾ cup champagne (the sweeter the better)

6 egg whites

Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting:

3 ¼ cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 tablespoons of champagne, at room temperature

To Make Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.  (This recipe yielded about 24 for me.)

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.

In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites.  Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

To Make the Frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes.  Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute.

(**I had to nearly double this recipe to have enough to frost all of the cupcakes as pictured above.  If you’re doing a “flatter” frosting style, this recipe should be enough to cover all of the cupcakes!**)