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If you’re looking for a festive dessert for New Years Eve, Valentine’s Day, or just for someone who loves champagne, try my Champagne Cupcakes!
These are easy vanilla cupcakes flavored with champagne and topped with a delicious champagne buttercream. These are the perfect celebration cupcakes!
Moist Champagne Cupcake Recipe
I love bubbles! Prosecco is my favorite, but champagne will do in a pinch. (Prosecco is just Italian champagne; it’s less sweet which is what I prefer.)
These delightful cupcakes are perfect for NYE but also for any celebration. I could see making these for Valentine’s Day or an anniversary or wedding. The champagne buttercream is BOMB, if I do say so myself. The champagne flavor is amazing!
What is a Champagne Cupcake?
Basically these are my yellow cupcakes and I’ve edited the recipe to add champagne! They’re moist and fluffy and perfect for any party.
Ingredients in Cupcakes with Champagne
- Butter: Use unsalted butter, I start with it melted
- Sugar: Granulated Sugar is best
- Flour: Be sure to measure your flour correctly
- Baking Powder: This helps get a fluffy cake
- Eggs: Help with richness and moistness
- Vanilla: For flavor
- Champagne: In place of milk, we use champagne or sparkling wine
- Salt
- Cornstarch
EXPERT TIP
Why do you put cornstarch in cupcakes?
I recently wrote a post about cake flour and learned that you can make your own with flour and cornstarch. I decided I wanted to try cake flour in cupcakes, but didn’t have any, so I added cornstarch to my recipe.
I’m not calling for cake flour in the recipe because I didn’t use it – and haven’t tried it – and I’m pretty sure most people have cornstarch in their pantry (and not cake flour).
How do you make cupcakes with champagne?
- Whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Cream 3/4 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or use an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat until butter is light and fluffy, then mix in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla extract.
- Add flour mixture and champagne and mix slowly just until batter is combined.
- Fill batter evenly among cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake.
- While the cupcakes are baking, place the soak ingredients (champagne and sugar) in a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat until it starts to boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool.
- Make the buttercream frosting using room temperature butter and powdered sugar. I love using an electric mixer to make frosting.
Champagne Reduction Soak
While the cupcakes are baking, I made a champagne reduction simple syrup with bubbly and sugar. Heat it until the sugar is dissolved and then let it cool. Drizzle it over the warm cupcakes to keep them moist and add tons of flavor! This amps up the champagne flavor in the cupcakes.
Recipe Swaps
- Make Pink Champagne Cupcakes with pink champagne or sparkling rosé.
- Make them semi-homemade by using cake mix. Use ingredients called for but substitute champagne for the water.
How to make Champagne Frosting
It’s easy to flavor buttercream frosting with champagne! Simply beat your butter and powdered sugar like you would if you’re making vanilla frosting, then instead of thinning it with just milk, add champagne! Frost cupcakes as desired.
FAQs
You should get the kind of champagne you like. There is enough sugar in the cupcake that you can use a drier bubbly if that’s what you have (I used extra dry). Just use a bottle that you have on hand and make sure it’s still bubbly – not flat! The bubbles help the cupcake be nice and moist and fluffy.
It’s easy – I just added some champagne in place of some of the heavy cream in my normal vanilla frosting recipe. There are only about 2 tablespoons of champagne in the frosting, but just be careful because, since the frosting is not cooked, the alcohol is there. These are adult only cupcakes!
Yes. These cupcakes have alcohol baked in them and in the frosting. The alcohol doesn’t completely cook out when baking, and the frosting is not cooked at all. For adults only!
No, these shouldn’t make you tipsy.
The champagne helps moisten the cupcakes and adds nice flavor.
Champagne Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (42g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237ml) champagne bubbly; not flat
For the soak:
- ¼ cup (60ml) champagne
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
For the frosting:
- 1 cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- 5 cups (565g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) champagne
- 2-4 tablespoons (30-60ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners.
- Whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or use an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat until butter is light and fluffy, then mix in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla extract.
- Add flour mixture and champagne and mix slowly just until batter is combined.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake.
- While the cupcakes are baking, place the soak ingredients (champagne and sugar) in a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat until it starts to boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool.
- To make frosting: beat butter until creamy in a large bowl with a and mixer (or use an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), then slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add the champagne and vanilla, then add 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream at a time until frosting is desired consistency.
- When the cupcakes come out of the oven, brush the syrup over the top of the warm cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cupcakes as desired. (For the look in the photos, use a Wilton 1M tip and gold sanding sugar.)
Recipe Video
Recipe Nutrition
Other recipes that would be great for a celebration:
Make these cupcakes for a celebration! These homemade white cupcakes are filled with champagne and topped with a champagne frosting. They’re an easy cupcake recipe perfect for a party, Valentine’s Day or a NYE dessert!
I’m always in the market for a new Champagne Cake Recipe. Have you used this for a cake, or just for cupcakes?
Our all-round generic cake, for wedding cake tiers & private client orders, is our Champagne Cake w/ Champagne Mousse Fillings & Champagne Mock Whip Frosting. Mock Whips hold up great in very high heat, i.e. hot tents in the summer & are the texture of whipped cream. I can’t wait to try your cake recipe!
I haven’t but I think you could bake it in a 9-inch pan just fine!
What were the pretty gold sprinkles on top of the frosting. They really set it off.
Here’s a good option for the gold sprinkles… https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Gold-Pearlized-Sugar-Sprinkles/dp/B003YJ14OU/ref=pd_sbs_325_t_1/144-8025322-0368866?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003YJ14OU&pd_rd_r=05e7f472-4dac-4cc6-86ae-1172d484082e&pd_rd_w=VycjP&pd_rd_wg=MsWbY&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=AGN174YY9433MW6A1XBB&psc=1&refRID=AGN174YY9433MW6A1XBB
What were the gold sprinkles on top of the frosting? They really set it off.
Gold sanding sugar 🥰
Any other boozy cupcake recipes?
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