Quick Pink Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

I never thought I’d be making cupcakes with champagne until my friend brought a bottle to a baking day last summer. Growing up, cupcakes meant boxed mix and canned frosting – that’s just how we did it in our house. When mom tried anything fancy, it usually ended up a bit… well, let’s say “creative.”

That’s because fancy doesn’t have to mean complicated – these pink strawberry champagne cupcakes prove it. The champagne adds just a hint of fizzy flavor, while fresh strawberries keep things simple and sweet. And the best part? They’re actually easier to make than you’d think.

What Kind of Champagne Should I Use?

For these cupcakes, you’ll want to use a pink champagne (also called rosé champagne) that you actually enjoy drinking – after all, you’ll have plenty left in the bottle! Any dry to semi-dry pink champagne or sparkling rosé wine will work well here, and you don’t need to break the bank. A prosecco rosé or cava rosé can be great budget-friendly alternatives that will give you the same pretty pink color and bubbly flavor. Just avoid anything too sweet, as the cupcakes already have plenty of sugar. If your bottle has been open for a day or two, that’s totally fine – the bubbles aren’t as important as the flavor in this recipe.

Options for Substitutions

Need to make some swaps? Here are some helpful substitutions for this recipe:

• Pink champagne: You can use any sparkling wine like prosecco or cava. For a non-alcoholic version, try sparkling white grape juice mixed with a tiny drop of pink food coloring.
• Sour cream: Plain full-fat Greek yogurt works great as a 1:1 replacement. You could also use crème fraîche if you have it on hand.
• Freeze-dried strawberries: While these give the best color and flavor without adding moisture, you can use strawberry extract (1/4 teaspoon) plus a drop of pink food coloring. Just know the flavor won’t be quite as natural.
• Whole milk: 2% milk will work fine here. For a dairy-free option, use unsweetened almond milk or oat milk, but the texture might be slightly less rich.
• Vanilla essence: Vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or even the seeds from half a vanilla pod will all work nicely.
• All-purpose flour: Cake flour can be used for an even lighter texture – just add an extra tablespoon to compensate for the lighter weight.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The temperature of your ingredients plays a crucial role in these cupcakes – using cold butter, eggs, or sour cream can lead to a lumpy, uneven batter that won’t rise properly, so make sure everything is truly at room temperature before starting. When working with champagne in baking, be careful not to overmix the batter once it’s added, as this can deflate the bubbles and result in dense cupcakes – mix just until the ingredients are combined. For the frosting, a common mistake is not grinding the freeze-dried strawberries fine enough, which can leave you with chunky frosting instead of a smooth, pipeable consistency – pulse them in a food processor or crush them in a zip-top bag until they’re a fine powder. To keep your cupcakes moist and flavorful, don’t skip brushing them with extra champagne while they’re still warm – this step adds an extra layer of flavor and ensures they stay fresh longer.

What to Serve With Champagne Cupcakes?

These pretty pink cupcakes are perfect for special occasions and pair wonderfully with a chilled glass of the same champagne you used in the recipe! Since these treats are on the sweeter side, I like to serve them alongside fresh berries – especially strawberries – which complement the freeze-dried strawberry flavor in the frosting. For a fancy party spread, you could set up a dessert station with these cupcakes, some chocolate-covered strawberries, and small glasses of champagne. If you’re serving these at brunch, they go great with a hot cup of coffee or tea to balance out the sweetness.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These pretty pink cupcakes will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you live somewhere warm, it’s better to pop them in the fridge since the frosting contains butter. Just bring them to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving for the best taste and texture.

Make Ahead: You can bake the cupcakes up to 1 day ahead and store them unfrosted in an airtight container. The champagne buttercream can also be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge – just let it come to room temperature and give it a quick whip before piping onto your cupcakes.

Freeze: Want to plan way ahead? Unfrosted cupcakes freeze really well for up to 2 months. Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to serve, thaw them overnight in the fridge and frost them the next day.

Preparation Time	20-25 minutes
Cooking Time	15-20 minutes
Total Time	35-45 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2200-2400
• Protein: 20-25 g
• Fat: 120-130 g
• Carbohydrates: 300-320 g

Ingredients

• 100 grams all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 100 grams white sugar (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 41 grams unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature (around 3 tablespoons)
• 32 grams vegetable oil (approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons)
• 1 egg white, at room temperature
• 45 grams sour cream, at room temperature (around 3 tablespoons)
• 28 grams whole milk, at room temperature (approximately 2 tablespoons)
• 28 grams pink champagne (around 2 tablespoons, plus extra for brushing on top)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 141 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature (approximately 10 tablespoons)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 10 grams freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
• 250 grams icing sugar (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon pink champagne

Step 1: Prepare Your Oven and Muffin Tin

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Line a muffin tin with 6 parchment liners to ensure the cupcakes don’t stick and are easy to remove once baked.

Step 2: Make the Cupcake Batter

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and butter.

Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture until the butter is fully incorporated, leaving only tiny clumps.

Next, add the vegetable oil, egg white, sour cream, milk, pink champagne, and vanilla to the dry ingredients.

Beat the mixture just until all the ingredients are combined into a smooth batter.

Step 3: Bake the Cupcakes

Evenly distribute the batter between the six prepared liners in the muffin tin.

Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

This ensures that the cupcakes are fully baked.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and use a toothpick to poke small holes in the top of each one.

With a pastry brush, gently brush more pink champagne over the tops to enhance the flavor.

Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely.

Step 4: Prepare the Strawberry Champagne Frosting

In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to beat together the butter, salt, and crushed freeze-dried strawberries until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Add half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined, then add the remaining sugar and continue beating until the frosting is smooth.

Finally, add the champagne and beat for an additional minute to complete the frosting.

Step 5: Frost and Garnish the Cupcakes

Ensure that the cupcakes are completely cooled to room temperature before frosting.

Use a spatula or a piping bag to generously frost each cupcake with the strawberry champagne frosting.

For an elegant touch, garnish each cupcake with a fresh strawberry.

Serve the cupcakes to your guests and enjoy the delightful combination of strawberries and champagne!