Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Champagne Cupcakes

Recipe Review: Light and airy Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream Frosting are the perfect treat for a special occasion. 


March seems to be the month for birthdays- including my best friend Amber's. Amber is a really amazing person and a really great friend to me, so when I volunteered to make cupcakes for her birthday party I knew that they had to be something spectacular. Since we were celebrating a birthday I thought it would only fitting to make Champagne Cupcakes. I found an amazing recipe on SprinkleBakes and was so excited to try it out.




Champagne Cupcakes
yield: 15 cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup champagne

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer (or in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment) until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix. 

In a medium sized bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together champagne and sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble). Add flour 1/3 at a time, alternating with champagne and sour cream mixture. 

Fill cupcake liners with level 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes until tops are just beginning to brown. Cool completely before frosting. 


Cupcake prep actually began a week in advance when I spent an afternoon assembling purple fondant flowers. I had never made anything with fondant before and it was so much fun. I felt like I was a little kid playing with play doh. I baked the cupcakes a day in advance- which was a good thing because they bubbled up (all the champagne?) and overflowed! I had to remake them the day of the party, being sure to put only 1/4 cup in each cupcake paper.  I frosted the cupcakes with a simple Champagne Buttercream - also from Sprinkle Bakes.  I actually liked this buttercream better than the traditional style of Buttercream.  

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

1 cup champagne plus one tablespoon
1 cup butter softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan, and simmer over medium high heat until it has reduced to 2 tablespoons. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Cream softened butter. Add confectioners sugar in three batches, using a medium high speed. Add in reduced champagne and additional tablespoon champagne and mix well. 


I frosted the cupcakes and added the flowers on top and, ta-da! Beautiful sparkling champagne cupcakes!

Happy Birthday Amber!!

8 comments:

  1. These look absolutely beautiful and I'm sure taste they tasted superb.

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  2. So, I've been curious... didn't you give up sweets for lent? ;-)

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  3. Actually I did! For some reason getting to bake for other people and living vicariously through them is getting me through it though! I have to admit I have snuck some buttercream (to see if the texture was right! I swear....) And I had to (had to!) eat a cupcake this weekend while filming a video for a blog contest. I guess I will need to add a few more days on to lent to make up... over all its going well, I've been having berries when i'm craving something sweet.

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  4. Happy Birthday to me with yummy cupcakes!

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  5. These look gorgeous! I'm not quite sure what to expect champagne cupcakes to taste like...but I think I'll try. Should one indulge in drinking champagne with them? :)

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  6. A friend of mine made these cupcakes for a party. I loved them. I would go as far as saying that they are the moistest cupcakes I have ever eaten.I am now making a batch myself!

    I think indulging in a little bit of champagne whilst cooking is the cooks reward!

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  7. I made these cupcakes for a bridal shower. They were a huge hit! SO yummy and moist!

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  8. I can't wait to make these! I think we're going to make an orange buttercream frosting for a mimosa cupcake!

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