Yesterday, myself and some friends threw a bridal shower for one of our close friends! It was in intimate bridal shower brunch with tons of delicious dishes, and of course desserts! I whipped up a few cookie recipes but wanted something fun and flirty to bring too! It’s a bridal shower people, of course we need fun and flirty!
Since it was a brunch AND a bridal shower, champagne obviously makes an appearance. In my mind, champagne=celebration. So that idea, combined with the romance of what we’re celebrating inspired me to add strawberries to this recipe. Because come on, who doesn’t love some strawberries with their champagne? The strawberries even added a gorgeous pink color to the cake that put a smile on my face!
My friends and I went for a blue color theme and decided to add splashes of color in the dishes. Yellow frittata cups, green pesto pasta, orange sweet potato home fries..I mean come on! Screams colorful to me. To add a bit more to the mix I wanted my frosting on the cupcakes to also represent the light and fun flirtiness these cupcakes screamed to represent. Using two colors and a star tip, I created a flower design to achieve my vision. I was beyond thrilled with how these cupcakes turned out, and enjoyed seeing them come to life!
The strawberries had a real presence in the flavor profile of the cake. By reducing the champagne for the frosting, you get an even more concentrated flavor in there as well. If I were you i'd think about making these for your next party or event. But honestly...make them to even just celebrate you!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yields: about 2 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
6 egg whites
Dash of vanilla
1 cup strawberries pureed
1 cup champagne*
3 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Frosting Ingredients
1 cup butter ¾ cup champagne reduced 4 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch of salt
Directions
Directions
1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tins with desired cupcake liners. In a food processor, add the strawberries and pulse until pureed. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the champagne.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add in the sugar and allow time to incorporate until light and fluffy. Add your dash of vanilla, and one at a time, add in your egg whites.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together your flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Once egg whites are totally incorporated, switch off between adding the strawberry-champagne mixture and the flour mixture until all is incorporated. Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared tins and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. While cupcakes are cooling, place a small saucepan on the stove and add the champagne. Allow it to come to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for about 7 minutes, or until it has reduced to about ¼ cup. Once finished, remove the pot from the heat and allow to come to room temperature or place in the fridge to cool
5. Add your butter for the frosting to a stand mixer, and using a whisk attachment beat until fluffy. Beginning on a low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time, and then increase your speed. Pour in your vanilla, along with the reduced champagne. Throw in a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness.
6. Once cupcakes have cooled, you can frost them using an offset spatula, or create a flour design as shown above. For flower design, divide your frosting into two bowls. Using gel food coloring, add desired amount to result in the colors of your choice. In a piping bag, add a star tip and place the piping bag in a tall drinking glass, pulling the top over the side of the glass to expose the inside. Take one of the colors and scrape it against one or two sides in the bag. Fill the rest of the bag with the other color frosting. This will create the multi-color design when you pipe onto the cupcake. Pipe dollops of frosting around the cupcakes to get the floral design you’re looking for. Top with sprinkles or other desired toppings!
*I used pink champagne to match the color of the strawberries, but you can use whatever you have on hand or is at the store!
Comments