Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream
These beautiful cupcakes are rich, moist and full of champagne flavor. They are topped with a luscious champagne buttercream, and some gold sprinkles to make them extra special!
I wanted to make something fancy this week for Mother’s Day coming up, so I thought champagne cupcakes with some gold bling would be fitting because all moms deserve a little glam once in a while. Being a mom is the best job in the world, but it can a thankless job and it’s certainly not a very glamorous one. So cheers to every mom out there, and thank you for all that you do!
This white vanilla cupcake recipe from Boston Girl Bakes is elevated with the addition of champagne to the batter. I flavored the buttercream with a champagne reduction which is a technique I learned from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I also brushed some of the concentrated reduction on top of the cupcakes for a more prominent champagne taste. And let me tell ya, a splash of bubbly not only brightens up the flavor of these cupcakes, it lightens up the overall texture as well.
These champagne cupcakes are fluffy and moist. They have a rich-buttery flavor with an elegant aroma. The buttercream is smooth and creamy with the sparkling taste of champagne. These cupcakes are definitely in a class of their own and are perfect for any special occasion, especially Mother’s Day and New Year’s Eve.
PrintChampagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 11-12
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These beautiful cupcakes are rich, moist and full of champagne flavor. They are topped with a luscious champagne buttercream.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 stick (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (125ml) champagne
For the frosting
- 1 cup (250ml) champagne
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- gold sprinkles or any kind of sparkling sugar
Instructions
-
Preheat an oven to 350F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
-
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the egg and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.
-
Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the champagne in 2 additions, beating until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and be careful not to over beat.
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Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full (you should get about 11-12 cupcakes).
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Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cupcakes are baking; in a small saucepan, bring the champagne to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium and allow to simmer until it reduces down to about 1/4 cup (about 8-10 minutes). Reserve 2 tablespoons of the reduction for the frosting, and use the rest to brush on top of the warm cupcakes. I brushed each cupcake twice with the reduction and discarded the leftover. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoon of the champagne reduction until smooth. Frost as desired and sprinkle with sparking sugar.
Hi there! I have a question: will there technically be any alcohol in this cupcake?
Yes, there will be some alcohol in the cupcakes as not 100% of it will evaporate during the baking process.
My family is spoiled and no longer accepts cupcakes without a surprise center filling. I really want to try this recipe but wondering what type of filling might pair well with it? Strawberry maybe?
Strawberry would be delicious, or maybe even peach would be good!
Can I make these ahead of time and freezer them – I would like to make them for two upcoming birthday parties . They sound perfect for the celebrations . ThanksÂ
Yes, they freeze very well. Enjoy the cupcakes and have fun at the birthday parties!
What kind of gold sprinkles did you use? I’d like to use it on your Bailey’s frosting. Is piping frosting hard to do? Never have tried it. Thanks
I made these for New Year’s Eve and absolutely loved them! I used gold foil and sprinkled with edible gold glitter and they were perfect for the occasion! I definitely didn’t need as much champagne as they recommended for the reduction part for the frosting (hated to waste the champagne when I could have drank it! lol), but perhaps I didn’t let it boil long enough. Keep in mind this recipe only makes 11 cupcakes. I had to double it in order to get approx. 22.
I made this recipe last night! It was delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re very welcome, Aldys! I’m glad you liked it and thank you for your kind words:)
Delicious fluffy and light cupcakes. Topped with the creamiest buttercream with the hint of champagne. It was such a treat to ring in the new year. Will definitely be making these again. Thank you for this recipe.Â
You’re very welcome, Shweta! I’m so glad you liked it. Enjoy the cupcakes and happy new year to you and yours!
Love these cupcakes! Easy to make and look so fancy! Frosting is amazing !
Thank you! I’m so glad you love it. Happy New Year!
Hi! Do you recommend a specific brand of champaign?
Nothing too expensive. You can use prosecco, brut, or any kind of sparkling wine. Save the good stuff for drinking, lol.
Hi Lily
I’m considering making mini versions of this cupcake for NYE which would most likely make around 24 mini cupcakes. How long would you suggest I bake them 10-12 minutes?Â
Yes, about 10-15 minutes. Enjoy and have a very happy new year!
Thank you for this recipe! I saw it when making your pineapple upside down cake for the 5th time yesterday and was instantly intrigued. It turned out pretty nicely and I would definitely make these again. Is there an alternative to the champagne buttercream that I could make? I’m not the biggest fan of buttercream frosting, but did think the frosting gave it a bit of extra oomph flavor-wise.
You’re welcome and I’m glad you like my pineapple upside down cake so much! If you don’t like buttercream, you could maybe try a mascarpone frosting? I think that would go well with the champagne cupcakes.
I used strawberry rosé and they turned out amazing!! Light & not too sweetÂ
will definitely make it again!!
Thank you for your kind words and the strawberry rose sounds amazing!
Looking for recommendations of champagne for cupcakes
Any kind of low-priced champagne or sparkling wine like Brut or Prosecco. Save the good stuff for drinking!
I used Cook’s Brut when I made this today. It’s fairly cheap and makes a great mimosa so the remainder won’t go to waste. It also comes in mini bottles if you prefer that route
I am wanting to make 1/2 sheetcake, 2″layers with buttercream between layers and to frost. What would you suggest for adjusting this recipe?
Hi Peggy,
I’m assuming your 1/2 sheet pan is about 11×15″, so you’ll need to triple the recipe for each 1/2 sheet pan. I’m not sure if you are planning on making one cake and cut in half to make a layer cake or two cakes. As for the frosting, you’ll probably only need to double the recipe for each cake depending on how thick you want the frosting layer to be and maybe account for extra if you want to pipe a border or something. I hope that helps and feel free to reply back if you have any other questions.
These look amazing…I can’t help but want to add a strawberry on top or somewhere else in the recipe. Strawberries and champagne are my fav!
Strawberries and champagne are great together! So a strawberry on top or chopped strawberries added to the batter would be nice as well. Enjoy and have a great week!
I made these last night for a coworker’s birthday and everyone loves them!!! They are so soft and delicious and not overwhelmingly sweet – just right! This is my new favorite frosting recipe for sure.
Thank you for your kind words, Desiree! I’m glad everyone loved them:)
The cake recipe was perfect. I actually used peach champagne instead of regular which turned out amazing. The frosting on the other hand was a complete disaster! It completely separated and melted off my cupcakes. They were already well past cooled and the frosting was just made. I cannot figure out what happened?! They were still very good but very ugly to look at 😞
Hi Amanda,
Just wanted some further clarification so I can better help you; was the frosting thick before you piped it or spread it on the cupcakes?
When you made the frosting did you add the champagne in still hot/warm? If so, this will cause the frosting to melt.
Hey Amanda, that happened because the butter melted when you added the hot champagne. You’ll want to wait til it’s cooled down before adding it to the frosting. Hope that helps! Happy baking!
I baked these for my sister’s birthday and she and her friends loved them!
I’m glad everyone loved them. Happy birthday to your sister!
Such elegant cupcakes! Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for bringing your sweet creations to Fiesta Friday!
What a lovely dessert–I think they sound and look great Lily!
Thanks Jess!