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    Home » Cupcakes

    Pink Champagne Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

    5 from 4 votes
    8 Comments

    Jan 1, 2020

    (updated Apr 6, 2025)

    by Kimberlee Ho

    Jump to Recipe

    These cupcakes were created for celebrating! Whether it's New Year's Eve, an engagement, Valentine's Day, a wedding, anniversary or just because, these Pink Champagne Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream are just the treat to help set the festive mood. Yields 20 cupcakes.

    They are topped with a smooth and silky white chocolate buttercream frosting that is sure to become your new go-to frosting!

    Close up of pink champagne cupcake on a white plate with sprinkles on top

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Champagne Cupcakes

    When I was thinking about the perfect dessert for celebrating, champagne came to mind, of course! Like I usually do when I don't already have a recipe of my own, I search my reliable baking recipe sources for ideas.

    Cook's Illustrated came through in a big way, as always, serving up the perfect recipe for cake made with sparkling wine.

    I adapted this into cupcakes, made them pink because pink champagne just screams celebration now doesn't it, and topped them with a not-too-sweet white chocolate frosting.

    Adding champagne to cupcakes adds a slightly yeasty flavor reminiscent of bread and gives the cake an unmistakable festive flavor.

    There's a full cup in the cupcake batter. I used more for soaking strawberries and topping these festive treats. Cuz you know, strawberries and champagne were made to go together in every way.

    Pink champagne cupcakes on a cake stand with strawberry in front

    Decorating cupcakes for non-cupcake decorators

    I am a self-proclaimed non-cupcake/cake decorator. I have tried many times to create carefully decorated cakes for my daughters' birthdays.

    And while they came out decent, I swear each and every time that I will never decorate another cake again. I just don't have the patience for it. Or the knack.

    I have figured out, though, how to quickly and decently decorate cupcakes in a way that suits me much better.

    The first step is creating frosting that pipes well. This white chocolate buttercream fits the bill! It's smooth and fluffy and has good structure to remain standing up after being piped.

    I use a gallon ziplock bag with the end sniped off. For these cupcakes I did use a piping tip. That's not necessary, however.

    You can simply snip off a corner of the ziplock bag and squeeze out a dollop of frosting onto the cupcakes. Or, use an offset spatula or butter knife instead to apply a nice little mound of frosting.

    I then topped these cupcakes with a couple of slices of strawberries soaked in champagne and some festive sprinkles. Bam!

    Now that's my kind of decorating. Nothing crazy or super fancy here. But, they came out looking great and tasting even better.

    Pink champagne cupcake on a plate with strawberries around it

    Tips for Making This Recipe

    • I suggest topping these cupcakes with strawberries soaked in champagne. If you plan to top the cupcakes with champagne-soaked strawberries, complete that step first to allow sufficient time for the strawberries to absorb all that delicious flavor from the champagne. I suggest the strawberries soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. This step can even be completed up to 2 days in advance. And don't throw away the champagne that remains after you've topped your cupcakes! Drink up or use it in another recipe
    • Be sure the red gel food coloring you use in this recipe states on the label that it is no-taste red. I have found that regular red food coloring has a very bitter taste, even in small amounts. Craft stores, such as AC Moore and Michaels, Wilton, and Amazon all sell no-taste red food coloring. Also, keep in mind that food coloring is not necessary and it can easily be omitted if you prefer your cupcakes without dye
    • There is a full cup of champagne in the cupcake batter as well as more used for soaking the strawberries. For this ingredient, you can use any type you have on hand. This includes sparkling wine and Prosecco, too. Cook's Illustrated recommends using a sparkling wine that is on the drier side but not too expensive such as Prosecco
    • For the white chocolate buttercream frosting, I recommend melting the white chocolate as the first step. Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes, though, before adding it to your buttercream. This will prevent the butter in the buttercream from melting and enable structure in your frosting (a little tip I picked up from my friend, Sam at ButtermilkBySam.com). I like to whip the frosting for a couple of minutes once all ingredients are combined to create a smooth, fluffy and airy frosting that is easy to pipe
    • Know how much cupcake batter per cupcake so you bake the perfect cupcakes every time
    Pink champagne cupcake on a plate with cupcakes around it

    Useful Kitchen Tools for Making This Recipe

    Whisk

    12-cup Muffin Tin

    Cupcake Liners

    FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!

    Close up of pink champagne cupcake with bite taken out

    Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.

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      Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
    • one chocolate cupcake with bite taken out
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    Pink Champagne cupcake on a white plate with bottle of champagne behind it

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    Close up of pink champagne cupcake with white chocolate buttercream and sprinkles

    Pink Champagne Cupcakes

    These pink champagne cupcakes were created for celebrating! Whether it's New Year's Eve, an engagement, Valentine's Day, a wedding, anniversary or just because, these Pink Champagne Cupcakes topped with White Chocolate Buttercream are just the treat to help create a festive mood.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Course: All Recipes, Dessert, Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: basic cupcakes, champagne, freeze dried strawberries, pink champagne cupcakes, white chocolate buttercream
    Servings: 20
    Calories: 392kcal
    Author: Kimberlee Ho

    Equipment

    • cupcake pan
    • cupcake liners
    • Stand Mixer

    Ingredients

    Topping (optional)

    • 1 lbs fresh strawberries hulled and chopped into small pieces or slices
    • 1 cup champagne or Processco

    Cupcakes

    • 6 egg whites room temperature
    • 1 cup champagne or Processco, room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 6 drops no-taste red gel food coloring
    • 2 ¼ cups cake flour
    • 1 ¾ cups  granulated sugar
    • 4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon  kosher salt
    • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened but still slightly cool, cubed

    White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

    • 12 ounces white chocolate baking bars chopped
    • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • sprinkles

    Instructions

    • If you plan on topping your cupcakes with champagne-soaked strawberries, prepare those first by placing chopped strawberries in a bowl and pouring champagne over top, ensuring all berries are submerged.
      1 lbs fresh strawberries, 1 cup champagne
    • Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

    Make the Cupcakes:

    • Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350ºF.
    • Line two standard cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, champagne, vanilla, and food coloring until well combined. Set aside.
      6 egg whites, 1 cup champagne, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 6 drops no-taste red gel food coloring
    • Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, mix on low speed the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined, about 30 seconds.
      2 ¼ cups cake flour, 1 ¾ cups  granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon  kosher salt
    • With mixer running, add butter, 1 piece at a time, until incorporated and mixture resembles moist crumbs.
      12 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • Add all but ½ cup of the egg white mixture and beat until just combined.
    • Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
    • Add remaining ½ cup egg white mixture in a slow stream.
    • Scrape down the bowl with a spatula and beat batter on medium-high speed until well combined, about 15 seconds.
    • Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ of the way up.
    • Bake until toothpick inserted in center cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
    • Let cupcakes cool in tins on wire rack for 10 minutes.
    • Remove cupcakes from tins and let cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours.

    Make the Frosting:

    • In the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and that you keep your burner set on low), melt the white chocolate, stirring every minute or so.
      12 ounces white chocolate baking bars
    • Once fully melted, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool, about 5 minutes.
    • Dip your finger in to test the temperature, once it’s cool enough to touch, you can use it in the next step. If it’s too hot, it will melt the butter in your buttercream which is not what you want.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
      1 cup unsalted butter
    • Sift in the powdered sugar and salt and add the vanilla.
      1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • Beat until well blended. Beat in slightly cooled white chocolate with the mixer speed on low, then beat at medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
    • Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
    • With a slotted spoon, remove a few pieces of strawberries from champagne bath and place on top of each cupcake.
    • Add sprinkles and serve.
      sprinkles

    Notes

    • Cupcakes can be made up to 3 days ahead. When completely cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to frost and serve.
    • Strawberries can be soaked in champagne up to 2 days in advance. Keep tightly covered in fridge until ready to serve.
    • Frosted cupcakes will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. Cupcakes topped with strawberries are best eaten right away.
    • You should have just enough frosting for all of your cupcakes. However, if you have leftover frosting, store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. I like to store mine in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.
    • Cupcakes adapted from CooksIllustrated.com.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 cupcake | Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.8g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 21.7g | Saturated Fat: 13.4g | Cholesterol: 46.3mg | Sodium: 181.7mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 33.6g
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @kickassbaker on Instagram so I can see!
    Pink Champagne Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream | kickassbaker.com Pin for Pinterest

    Filed Under

    CupcakesFrostings & GlazesIntermediateBirthdayHolidaysCake FlourChocolate
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      5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Comments

    1. Tasia ~ two sugar bugs

      January 05, 2020 at 12:37 am

      These sure are pretty cupcakes Kim! The combination of champagne and white chocolate sounds magical. I think they would be perfect for any celebratory event!

      Reply
      • Kim

        January 06, 2020 at 5:24 pm

        Totally agree, these would be perfect for any celebration 🙂

        Reply
    2. Robyn

      January 07, 2022 at 1:27 pm

      5 stars
      These cupcakes look perfect for New Year's! I have to get some of those festive sprinkles.
      (This comment was made by a family member of Kickass Baker's owner.)

      Reply
      • Kimberlee Ho

        January 07, 2022 at 6:57 pm

        They really are great for any celebration! I get most of my sprinkles on Amazon.com.

        Reply
    3. Jalisa

      January 31, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      I would like to make these into a cake would I have to double the recipe? And how long would I bake them for?

      Reply
      • Kimberlee Ho

        January 31, 2022 at 6:15 pm

        You could leave the recipe as is to make a small one-layer cake or you could try doubling it for a layer cake. I haven't tried this so I do not know what size pans you would use. I am making an educated estimate that the recipe as is would yield one 8-inch cake and if you doubled it, you'd have 2 8-inch cakes you could layer. I would bake them at 350ºF for about 25 minutes, but depending on your oven, this may take shorter or longer. Start checking the cake for doneness at 20 minutes. Good luck and let me know how it comes out!

        Reply
        • Jalisa

          February 01, 2022 at 1:19 pm

          Thanks i am gonna test it out for Valentines Day and see how it turns out!

          Reply
          • Kimberlee Ho

            February 02, 2022 at 8:36 pm

            Can't wait to hear!

            Reply

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    Pink Champagne Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream | kickassbaker.com Pin for Pinterest

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