Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

cake:

• • 1 box white cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)

  • 1 cup pink champagne

  • 1/4 cup milk

  • 1/3 cup oil

  • 3 egg whites

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

buttercream:

• • 1/4 cup pink champagne reduction (from 1 cup champagne - see below)

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 3 cups powdered sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bake the Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix all the cake ingredients on low to combine, then for two minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl down once. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until pale golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Set the cupcakes on wire racks to cool completely.

Make the Champagne Reduction:

Pour 1 cup pink champagne into a small saucepan. Simmer over medium low until reduced to a concentrated syrup, about 1/4 cup. Transfer to a container and cool completely in the refrigerator.

Make the Buttercream:

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, then the vanilla and the champagne reduction. Increase speed to medium high and whip for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy.

Frost the Cupcakes:

To keep it simple, just pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

If topping with roses, spread a thin layer of buttercream over each cupcake. Use the remainder of the buttercream to pipe roses, using the Wilton 104 rose tip. You may need to make the buttercream stiffer with a little more powdered sugar if piping roses.

Yields 24 cupcakes.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen