Turn Leftover Bubbly into Champagne Cupcakes

I looked longingly at the half-empty bottle of Adami “Bosco di Gica” Prosecco in my fridge on a Sunday night. A fan favorite at TCB, it's an Italian wine that is enjoyed world wide, and known for its delicate, dry, and refreshing flavors. Sadly, my frequent drinking buddy Nancy was unavailable, however, she came up with a great idea: bubbly cupcakes!

I mean, who knew? Well apparently, it’s a thing I didn’t know I needed in my life. So a fast internet search turned up this fabulous recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I don’t know how they got prosecco out to the plains back in the day, but I pressed onward. And let’s just say this recipe was so simiple you could easily do it while finishing off the remaining prosecco. Just sayin’.

Champagne Cupcakes

Makes: 22-24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12-15 minutes

Inactive Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 90 minutes

For the cupcakes:

1 15.25 oz box vanilla or white cake mix (I used white to let the Prosecco flavor shine. I also prefer Duncan Hines mixes.)

1 cup sparkling wine, such as Champagne, Prosecco, or Cava

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the Champagne buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 cup sparkling wine at room temp

Gold, silver, or white sparkly sprinkles for garnish

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the cake mix, sparkling wine, eggs, and oil.

3. Fill each liner with 3-4 tablespoons of batter. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

For the champagne buttercream:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, lemon zest, and prosecco.
3. Mix on low speed just until combined, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy.
4. Pipe the icing around the outer edge of the cupcake, spiraling into the center until the cupcake is completely covered.
5. Top with sprinkles and serve.

Note: The alcohol will bake off in the oven, but in order to make these family friendly, I put aside enough frosting that I did not add the prosecco to, so everyone can enjoy the cupcakes and celebrate their special occasion. I just added a little lemon juice to compensate for the liquid. It turned out quite nice. I loved the flavor combination of the Adami with the lemon.

I’ll celebrate just about anything with a cupcake, and if you do too, I think you’ll enjoy adding these easy and deliciously delicate flavored cakes to your recipe rotation. 

We’ve got a highly curated selection of wine and spirits at TCB. You can check out our current wine and spirits list. 

We also offer wine and spirits classes with spirits expert and sommelier Christophe Bakunas. Come for a casual happy hour and learn how to build cocktails on Friday, August 21 at 5pm. Then, stay for his War and Wine: Grand Cru of Wine Classes at 6:30pm. 

We also have a Hands-On Paella Party that features Sangria and our new Hands-On Italian Spritz Season: Summer Bites and Bubbly Cocktails which has been really popular this summer. In fact, both of these classes sold out in July, so don’t miss them in August!