Strawberries + Champagne Cupcakes
I had the pleasure of celebrating a dear friend’s upcoming nuptials this past weekend. Because these major life events don’t happen just everyday, they deserve desserts that don’t happen just everyday. Cupcakes featuring strawberries and champagne seemed entirely appropriate. I followed a fantastic recipe from 20 Something Cupcakes.
Our main ingredients.
{fresh strawberries}
{I’m a big fan of prosecco. I was extra excited that Cupcake’s label matched my apron…it’s the little things.}
{hulled strawberries}
{making the cupcake filling}
{my only suggestion that deviates from the original recipe: Strain the filling for a creamier, less seedy texture}
{after 15 minutes in the oven}
{after cutting a divot in the center of the cupcakes, I filled them with the strawberry, simple syrup + champagne reduction}
{I used a Wilton 1M star tip to apply the champagne butter-cream icing}
{top the cupcakes with these slices baked at 200 degrees for around 3 hours}
{making the cake box more festive: I used stencils to illustrate pertinent bridal details and a circular sponge brush for a champagne bubble effect}
Tips for Transport:
1. The cardboard cake box I used was $3 at Michael’s and it was so much easier to use something disposable rather than having to worry about keeping tabs on my cupcake container.
2. I highly recommend applying a tiny amount of hot glue to the bottom of your cupcake wrapper just before placing it in the box. This will keep them from sliding all over the box en route.
So Pretty is as Pretty Does. 
They’re beautiful, and they sound very tasty!
Hi Ola! They were delicious. They took an entire evening to make, but were so worth it. Thanks for commenting!
Lovely post + such a yummy way to celebrate…
adore Cupcake wines, they never disappoint…
not even when comes to matching an apron 😉
Do you have a copy of this recipe you could send me?? The site is down! I would love to make these for an upcoming wedding shower.
Hi Kristen,
I tracked down the recipe! Here it is:
{Strawberries + Champagne} Cupcakes
Light and airy champagne cupcakes are filled with a fresh champagne-kissed strawberry purée and topped with rich champagne buttercream frosting and candied strawberries. Serve them for a special occasion like New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, the Academy Awards, or a bridal shower. Don’t have one of those coming up? Not to worry: These cupcakes are a celebration in themselves.
Candied Strawberries:
1/2 cup sugar
1 pint strawberries, hulled
Champagne Cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1 cup Champagne
Strawberry Filling:
Leftover simple syrup from candied strawberries
About 1/2 cup champagne
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 pint strawberries, hulled
Champagne Buttercream:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup champagne
Make the candied strawberries: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Slice strawberries lengthwise as thinly as possible. Dip slices in cooled syrup; place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Reserve syrup. Bake until dry but still bright red, about 3 hours. Immediately transfer chips to a wire rack to cool completely.
Bake the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat in egg whites one at a time. Beat in flour mixture and champagne in three alternating additions, starting and ending with dry mixture. Pour batter into tins and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Make the strawberry filling: Take the remaining simple syrup and pour it into a measuring cup. Add enough champagne to get to 1 cup (you’ll need about 1/2 cup). Pour mixture back into the pan and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is reduced by about half. Whisk in cornstarch and allow the mixture to thicken. Pour into food processor bowl and allow to cool. Add strawberries and pulse until combined.
Make the champagne buttercream frosting: Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla, salt, and champagne; beat until frosting is creamy. (Note: If you started with a bottle of champagne, you’ll have about one glass leftover. The finish line is near, and a victory drink is in order!)
Assemble the cupcakes: Using a small paring knife, cut a small cone from the top of each cupcake. Fill with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake, swirling decoratively. Finish them off with a couple of candied strawberry chips, and serve.
Makes 18 cupcakes.
Happy baking! 🙂
Thank you so much for printing the recipe!!! I’d had it for 5 years and made them every year for a co-workers b-day. They are sooooooo yummy. Well, this year I could not find my recipe and the website that had it was gone. It took some digging but found it here. Thank you again! I was afraid it was lost forever.
So glad you can keep the tradition alive! That is one lucky co-worker. 🙂