Champagne Cranberry Cupcakes

After making those pretty little sparkling cranberries, I wanted to use them in some additional recipes, so I got to brainstorming. The sparkling name led me to champagne, and champagne led me to cake (by way of my friend Christine of Megabites Bakery. She said she’s made a champagne cake for her cake pops, which sounded amazing), which led me to cupcakes for Valentine’s Day treat. I thought I’d add the sparkling cranberries as a topper, and they worked perfectly to bring a pop of color (and tartness)! Just look how cute they are.

I thought these cupcakes came out tasting great (and Mr. Smith agrees!), but I did have a little bit of trouble with them. For some reason, the butter/sugar mixture didn’t get fully incorporated (there were still some ‘chunks’ of sugar-covered butter at the bottom of the batter that I didn’t realize were there until I was filling the last of the cupcake liners). So, a couple of my cupcakes baked oddly – the butter melted and the sugar almost caramelized, making those cupcakes a little gritty. But, the rest of the cupcakes were so delicious and moist, so I count that as a win.

I liked the addition of champagne, so I’m going to add that to my future cakes and cupcakes! Feel free to try it and let me what you think!

Champagne Cranberry Cupcakes

Add sparkling cranberries as a topper to these cupcakes, and they work perfectly to bring a pop of color (and tartness)!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 52 minutes

Yield: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup champagne or sparkling wine (I used sparkling Rose)
• 1/2 cup light sour cream

Champagne Frosting:

• 6 tablespoons softened butter
• (up to) 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup champagne (or sparkling wine)

Sparkling Cranberry toppers: see the recipe

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. In a large bowl, measure out the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine and then set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, measure out 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream. Whisk together to combine well and set aside as well.
4. Use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar. Make sure the butter is soft. On medium speed, mix the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, combining well after every addition.
5. Add in the vanilla and mix.
6. Add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg in the stand mixer and beat to incorporate.
7. Add half of the champagne/sour cream mixture and beat to incorporate.
8. Add in another 1/2 cup of the flour and the rest of the champagne/sour cream and continue to mix to combine.
9. Add in the last of the flour and allow to mix completely. The batter will be thick at this point.
10. Lay out your cupcake liners (I use awesome silicone ones that stand up on their own, so I lay them out on a cookie sheet). Fill the cupcake liners not quite to the top.
11. Bake cupcakes for 17-22 minutes. Let cool.

To make the champagne frosting:

1. Clean out the bowl of your stand mixer.
2. Add the softened butter and beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth.
3. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, and continue to beat on medium speed until smooth.
4. Add champagne a tablespoon at a time, alternating with the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
5. Frost the cupcakes with a piping bag or bottle, and top with sparkling cranberries.
6. Enjoy!