Chocolate Champagne Celebration Cupcakes

• Refrigerated

  • 2 Eggs, large

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 cup Brown sugar, light
  • 1/2 cup Cocoa powder, natural
  • 3/4 cup Either plain flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups Icing
  • 3/4 Tspn baking powder
  • 1/2 Tspn baking soda
  • 1/4 Tspn salt
  • 2 Tspn vanilla essence

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1/2 cup Vegetable oil

• Dairy

  • 230 g Butter
  • 1/2 cup Buttermilk

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 1 1/16 cup Champagne

Found on thechocoholicbaker.com

Description

Ingredients

• ½ cup natural cocoa powder
• ¾ cup either plain flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour
• ½ tspn baking soda
• ¾ tspn baking powder
• ¼ tspn salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil (or canola)
• 2 tspn vanilla essence
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup + 1 Tbspn champagne (or sparkling wine)
• 230g (2 sticks) butter
• 3½ cups icing (powdered) sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined, then set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla together until completely smooth.
• Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently whisk until just combined.
• Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and stir until only just combined, do not overmix.
• Pour or spoon the cupcake batter into the liners, I used a regular cookie scoop and filled each liner with one heaping scoop of batter. Fill to ¾ full.
• Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn out the cupcakes to cool completely.
• Once cool, frost each cupcake with the champagne frosting however you like. I use a large star tip, and a swirling motion to get my little clouds of frosting on top.
• Whilst the cupcakes are cooking, place the cup of champagne in a small saucepan.
• Simmer this over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until its reduced to the amount of around 3 Tbspn. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
• Once cooled, in the bowl of a stand mixer (or an electric hand beater with a large bowl), beat the butter until light and fluffy, around 3-4 minutes.
• Then add 3 cups of the icing sugar and beat until thick and fluffy, around 5 minutes.
• Add the cooled champagne syrup, plus the extra Tbspn of champagne and extra half cup of icing sugar and beat all of this until well combined. The frosting should be thick and spreadable but not runny.