For my last birthday (numbers unmentionable), I was inspired, but maybe a little skeptical to make real the idea of champagne cupcakes.
I am a great fan of champagne. It’s really my drink of choice. When I say champagne, I don’t mean just sparking wine – although that can be nice, I mean the fabulous French fizz from the Champagne region. Though champagnes are often full of brioche yeastiness, citrus zest and flavours bordering on patisserie, I was worried that putting it into actual patisserie would be overkill… Or worse… Awful.
I needn’t have had a moment’s concern.
Champagne Cupcake
These wonderful champagne cupcakes have champagne in the cake, transforming the cake into an airy, buttery sponge like texture with a heady aroma like fresh sabayon, the whipped egg dessert made with white wine. likewise, the addition of champagne to a traditional buttercream, in higher proportions than you might have thought possible, translates something that adults often cringe at (“too sweet”!) into something you want to eat with a spoon.
Champagne cupcakes with spun sugar shards (the perfect “spoon”)!
Top them with frothy curls of spun sugar, and these champagne cupcakes become a celebration in themselves. Eat them with a glass of champagne in hand, and it’s a very very special moment indeed.
Yum.
Champagne cupcakes with champagne buttercream
(Makes 24 mini cupcakes)
Champagne cupcakes
Choose a champagne with a full flavour. I used Moët & Chandon NV. Of course you can make these using a good sparkling wine – but tell the truth! Only the fizz from Champagne can be called “Champagne”!
It’s right that these cake have only egg yolks… It makes them extra specially tender.
ingredients
3/4 cup +2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
50 g butter, softened
1/2 cup champagne
2 egg yolks
mixing
Combine dry ingredients, butter and half the champagne, beating at a low speed. Add the remaining champagne and egg yolks, beat until light and creamy.
Spoon mixture into 24 mini cupcake pans lined with paper cases that have been sprayed with canola spray.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes, until golden. The cupcakes will still whisper a little when taken out of the oven.
When cold, pipe a rosette of the Champagne Buttercream on top of each cake. Decorate with spun sugar immediately before serving.
Champagne Buttercream
ingredients
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g icing sugar
75mL champagne
mixing
Cream butter until lightened and very smooth. Add icing sugar and beat again until very pale and fluffy. Add champagne, a third at a time, and beat well after each addition.
Just one single perfect Champagne Cupcake, please
Enjoy xxx
Kadri
You clever girl! What a great website!
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