Champagne Cupcakes with Mimosa Frosting

Have you ever been to a blind champagne tasting? I haven't either until our neighbors invited us to their second blind tasting and it was an absolute blast. I know absolutely nothing about champagne, ask me about beer and I can start spouting off varieties, types of brewing and flavor profiles...champagne, I am at a loss. So I ended up asking a few of my girlfriends for advice on their favorites and decided to bring a California Schramsberg 2015 Blanc de Blancs, which was fabulous. I also decided to make a dessert that complimented the champagne that we would be tasting.

What do we do when we need to find a recipe? Go to Pinterest, of course...lol. I found a few great recipes that I basically merged together to make a perfect Mimosa Cupcake. It turned out so well that there were none left at the end of the tasting and people were coming up to me asking me for the recipe. So without further ado, here is the recipe for those delicious Mimosa Cupcakes.

Champagne Cupcakes with Mimosa Frosting

Makes 12 Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

CUPCAKES

1 cup champagne

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 large egg whites, room temperature

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp milk

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, unsalted

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp orange zest

3-4 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tbsp champagne

Blackberries soaked in champagne

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined

4. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well mixed.

5. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the milk and champagne in a small measuring cup.

6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix well. Add the milk mixture and mix. Then add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.

7. Fill the cupcake liners a little more than halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

8. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.

9. While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. Combine the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and mix until smooth.

10. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

11. Add the orange zest and 2 tablespoons of orange juice and mix until smooth

12. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

13. Add the remaining orange juice and the champagne as needed for the right consistency and mix until smooth.

14. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

15. Decorate the cupcakes with Blackberries or seasonal fruit.

Bon Appetit!