Vanilla Cupcakes with Champagne Frosting
February 6, 2023
We’re getting closer to Valentine’s Day so I wanted to share this vanilla cupcakes with champagne frosting recipe I made last week. These pretty vegan cupcakes are simple and require no unusual or hard-to-find ingredients. The frosting is a delicious spin on the classic vanilla meringue buttercream I often make.
Y’all know I love finding any use for aquafaba (also known as chickpea water/brine). This is the perfect thing for it. The aquafaba allows this buttercream to be more like a meringue buttercream, so it’s light and fluffy while also using less sugar! I actually no longer make any frosting without it, and all of my friends and family who try this frosting are in shock that it’s not dairy-based buttercream.
Of course, adding champagne to anything makes it next level. By reducing the sparkling wine, we remove the alcohol and volume while preserving the classic, romantic, bubbly flavor. These vanilla cupcakes with champagne frosting would also be great to serve at a galentine’s function, bachelorette party, or wedding shower.
The base of this recipe is a super simple, beginner-friendly vanilla cake. It uses no eggs or egg replacers. No applesauce, no bananas, no tricks. I’ve been using this base recipe, modified from Chef Chloe Coscarelli, for years to rave reviews. This time, I wanted to include real vanilla bean instead of just extract. (costco had them on sale recently so they weren’t outrageously priced like they normally are!) I definitely enjoyed the difference and felt that the fresh vanilla really complemented the champagne buttercream.
Of course, I decided to add pink food coloring to the champagne frosting and some heart sprinkles at the end to really seal the deal that these vanilla cupcakes were a Valentine’s treat. My kids really enjoyed these as a surprise dessert when they got home from school. Give these a shot and let me know what you think!
*Frosting recipe inspired by Cooking on Caffeine and Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Champagne Frosting
Equipment
- electric mixer
Ingredients
vanilla bean cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup vegan sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 pod vanilla bean
champagne buttercream frosting
- 3/4 cup sparkling wine
- 1 cup vegan butter (country crock is my favorite)
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted to remove clumps)
- 1/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from chickpea can)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- pink food coloring (optional)
- festive sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your butter out to soften at room temperature. Add sparkling wine to a small pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 8 minutes. We need about 1/4 cup of reduced wine. Let it cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry cupcake ingredients. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together all wet cupcake ingredients.
- Slice the vanilla bean pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the insides into the liquids bowl, whisking to ensure even distribution. Pour the wet mixture into the dry bowl and stir together until just combined. Do not overmix; there will be a few tiny clumps.
- Line a cupcake tray with 12 liners and then divide the cupcake batter into them evenly. I use an ice cream scoop and it's usually about 2 scoops of batter per liner, or about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and check doneness by inserting a toothpick in the cupcake center--if there is no wet batter and just a few crumbs on the toothpick when it comes out, it is done. If there is some wet batter on the stick, put the cupcakes back into the oven for another 2 minutes and check again. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Once your cupcakes are cooling and your reduced wine has cooled, you may begin your frosting. Beat the softened butter on high in an electric mixer until creamy and soft for 1-2 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and then whisk again on high for 1 minute until incorporated.
- Turn off the mixer and add the champagne and vanilla and whisk again until thoroughly incorporated. Turn off the mixer, add the aquafaba, and whisk again. Once it's thoroughly incorporated and there is no separation, mix on high for 5 minutes. If you are using food coloring, now is the time to add it and whisk it in thoroughly. Pause to taste and adjust with more sugar or vanilla if preferred.
- Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles.
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