Manageability – Cupcakes are always easy.
If you’re anything like me, which I know you are, you don’t drink a lot of champagne except for a few specific times. Brunch, New Years, wedding anniversaries, winning a NASCAR race, or at the occasional Christening of a brand new boat. Well add today to the list, put on a nice dress, and make these Easy Champagne Cupcakes by The First Year.
You guys know my feelings about cupcakes: they’re really easy and delicious, even though they look like one of those things that are extremely difficult to make. These are light and fluffy, full of flavor, and the champagne really does put you in a celebratory mood. The recipe actually uses more champagne than I originally thought (I bought a tiny bottle when we really needed a full-sizer), but my husband had no problem going back to the liquor store, again, for a fourth time. Also, this recipe calls for a white cake mix, so you can use a fancy one or go all out like us and get the Kroger brand (oh yes, high class). We devoured these little tasty cocktail deserts along with our New Years meal, just like how the rest of America was celebrating New Years: quietly in our apartment by ourselves. Damn pandemic.
So pop a cork and have a toast to 2021 with these little treats. Then make a resolution to… I don’t know, end the pandemic. Yes, if you could end this pandemic I would be very proud of you.
Ingredients
- 1 box of white cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box, and replace the water with champagne
- 2 sticks of butter, room temperature
- 2-3 tbsp champagne
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- gold sprinkles
- Happiness
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to the directions of the package.
- Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- Prepare and bake the cake mix according to the directions on the package, however substitute the water for champagne, so if your box calls for 2/3 cup water use 2/3 cup champagne. Does that make sense? Or if it says 3/4 cup of water, you won’t use water. You’ll use the champagne instead. I feel like I may be over-explaining this. Look. If there’s water, don’t use it. Instead use champagne. Divide the batter evenly among the muffins cups – but only fill them 1/2 full. They’ll rise as you bake.
- Bake according to the suggested time – roughly 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes and place them on a cooling rack to cool. Or, in the alternative, place them on a chilling rack to chill.
- When the cupcakes are cooled, prepare the frosting.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter using an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the champagne, starting with less and adding more for stronger flavor if desired.
- Begin to add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, mixing by hand first, then with the electric mixer. Continue adding powdered sugar until the frosting tastes good to you. If, in fact, you think it tastes good.
- Place the frosting in a large piping bag fit with a Wilton 1m piping tip. Push the buttercream down into the bag. Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, starting in the center of the cupcake, swirling out, and then swirling back into the center, progressively stacking the frosting as you get to the center.