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. 

printable recipe

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

Happy Birthday Amber!!