Champagne Cupcakes

I'm not much of a drinker. Though I'm a graduate of a top ten party school, I never majored in ethanol. So inevitable, with New Years coming through, I end up with a bottle of champagne in my possession. What's a boy to do? Lucky for me, I found the answer:

Champagne Cupcakes
From Gimmesomeoven, yields 21 cupcakes

Ingredients
-Cupcakes-
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar
2.75 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
0.75 cups champagne
6 large egg whites
-Frosting-
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3.25 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp champagne, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Blend the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture alternately with the champagne.

In another large bowl (make sure it's clean), beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes). Fold one-third of the whites into batter to lighten it. Fold in remaining whites. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting, beat together butter and powdered sugar on low to blend, then on medium speed for two more minutes. Add vanilla extract and champagne, beating on medium for another minute. Add more champagne or milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is of the desired consistency. Frost the cupcakes to your liking and top with any other toppings (I used shaved chocolate bits).


These cupcakes were quite the surprise. The cake itself came out nearly perfectly. They were not too dense and the egg whites made them more delicate. The taste of champagne permeated the cake, but was in harmony with the other flavors. I personally thought the frosting was just okay. It was a little sugary for me and a little overwhelming for the cake. The end result was still good though with nice champagne notes.


Cooking with champagne is a great idea, as will be seen in my next post...