Champagne cupcakes

Thanks to Sprinkle Bakes For this delicious recipe!


We have a monthly poker tournament at our place and while we took a few months off, we celebrated the return and the first tournament of 2011 with Champagne cupcakes! Not only did my guest loved it, they also left with some for their spouses (so they said...).

Champagne Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup champagne

While preparing the cupcakes, preheat oven at 350 degrees.

In the bowl cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating between each eggs. Add vanilla. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set this mix aside. In another bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream until smooth. Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour.

Now as it was indicated by Sparkle Bakes, it will be very thick. I used a ice cream scooper to fill my cupcake papers halfway and it works wonders! I usually makes a mess but this technique helped a lot!

I baked the cupcakes for about 20 minutes. Once it cooled down, I cut a hole in the middle and filled it with a custard/party filling:


Custard:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup champagne
2 tbsp cornstarch
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl I whisked the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Then beat the egg and yolks in.
I then used the remaining heavy cream with sugar and 1/2 cup champagne in a small saucepan and brought to a boil. Once it boil, I removed from the heat.

Slowly pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg/cream mixture, whisking non stop so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

This was quite the workout lol

I let it cool down before putting the mix in a pastry bag and filling in the cupcakes. I am eating the leftover custard as we speak... I mean write this...YUM!

Champagne Frosting:

1 cup plus 1 tbsp. champagne
1/2 cup of soft butter
2 cups powder sugar

Pour 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Let it cool down. I put mine in a glass bowl so it would cool down faster.

I creamed the butter and powdered sugar together and then added the reduced champagne while beating it until smooth.

I separated the frosting in 2 equal parts (or at least tried) and colored one in pink with 2 drops of red food coloring. I placed a big scoop of the white frosting in a pastry bag then a pink one. When you frost the cakes, it gives a pink and white frosting. (not shown in the picture because I took a picture once all the good one were gone but do have a few friends that can testified I did such an exploit lol)




Bon appetit!