These Pink Champagne Cupcakes with Pink Champagne Buttercream are phenomenal! Moist, fluffy, airy cake flavored with real champagne topped with a luscious pink champagne buttercream frosting. Perfect for any festive occasion!
How was everyone’s Christmas and Hanukkah?
Hopefully you got exactly what you wanted, your great Uncle Ted didn’t embarrass you too much, and everyone got along swimmingly. But since you don’t live in Leave It To Beaver-land, I’m assuming one of those things did or didn’t happen. Hugs.
My Christmas was unusually good. Not that it’s ever bad per se, but everyone got along, no one was physically ill, and I truly think I made the best Christmas dinner yet! My turkey was moist and juicy, my mac & cheese wasn’t too soupy and my sister loved that I made vegetarian sides for her. (And if you’re over here like, wait, she can cook too!?, YES, I actually taught myself how to cook before I taught myself how to bake!)
And of course, there was a plethora of desserts available. Snowball Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Salted Caramel Butter Bars, Sugar Cream Pie and a Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake I whipped up on a whim. Needless to say, no one left hungry.
But now as we finish up the holiday season (hello, New Year!) I wanted to give you guys a couple of awesome New Year’s recipes in case you’re popular and were invited to parties. My invite may have gotten lost in the mail somewhere? I mean, it happens…
These Pink Champagne Cupcakes would be perfect for any festive occasion, but they’re totally perfect for New Year’s! Moist, fluffy, light cakes topped with a scrumptious pink champagne buttercream, a fresh raspberry and some gorgeous sparkling sugar for a beautiful cupcake that tastes as amazing as it looks.
Plus, no one needs to know how EASY they are to whip up! They taste like they came from some fancy schmancy bakery, I promise!
First: let it be noted that I HIGHLY recommend you use a quality pink champagne. I’m not saying you have to buy a $50 bottle or anything (but if you’d like to, be my guest!). But I do recommend buying something you’d actually drink. As a rule of thumb, whenever cooking or baking with alcoholic beverages, always buy something you’d drink. If you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it!
That said, I used this FABULOUS sparkling rose from Chandon, which is local to me (in Napa). They make excellent sparkling wines and I loved that this sparkling rose was just perfect in these cupcakes (and being consumed on the side while baking them 🙂 ).
Now, let’s toast to these cupcakes! Hip Hip Hooray!
- FOR CUPCAKES:
- 1 box white cake mix
- ¾ cup pink champagne (also known as sparkling rose. I used the kind by Chandon Winery, but whatever you prefer will work)
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 egg whites
- FOR FROSTING & GARNISH:
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tbsp heavy cream
- 3-4 Tbsp pink champagne
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 drops pink food coloring
- Fresh raspberries and sprinkles (I used a pink sparkling sugar) for garnish
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with 16 paper liners; set aside.
- Beat the cake mix, champagne, buttermilk, oil, and egg whites together with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Portion the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling about ⅔ to ¾ths full.
- Bake for approx. 14-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and vanilla until whipped, about 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. In between additions of powdered sugar, add 1 Tablespoon heavy cream and 1 Tablespoon pink champagne and beat well. After the last powdered sugar addition, beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute until fluffy and light. Beat in the food coloring, if using.
- Frost or pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with a fresh raspberry and a sprinkling of sugar and sprinkles, if using. Store airtight in the fridge or at room temperature.
- NOTE: if frosting the cupcakes very high like I have in my photos, I suggest doubling the frosting.
Fluffy, airy cupcakes topped with a boozy champagne buttercream… there is nothing better than these!
Have a sweet day!
xo, Hayley
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