Today is our anniversary. ♥ September 20, 2014 seems like a lifetime ago as we get lost in the hustle bustle of everyday life. I remember everyone telling us how quickly the wedding day flies by. Stop, take a moment for just the two of you, breathe it all in, and capture the feeling right there… right then. While the rest of the crowd enjoyed happy hour, we snuck away from the flurry of excitement and activity. We sat down, relaxed, sipped some wine, I fixed my hair, we took a selfie. And today, that silly picture is one of my favorites from our wedding day. We’re smiling, alone, treasuring that one private moment during the biggest day of our lives as we knew it. Just us 2. And today, 3 years later, we’re ready to hit pause all over again as we await the arrival of our daughter. Smiling, alone, waiting to treasure that one private moment during the biggest day of our lives as we know it. Just us 3.
Homemade Wedding Cupcakes
The Fall wedding season is upon us! And with that comes plenty of dessert. I know many of you prefer to make your own treats for wedding celebrations and wedding showers. And I sincerely applaud you. This is no easy task as dozens (or, more likely, hundreds!) of people depend on you to satisfy their sweet tooth. This isn’t just any old party—it’s a wedding. The pressure is on. Taste must be paramount, texture must be impeccable, and presentation must be spot-on. When it comes to DIY wedding desserts, perfection is key. And here’s where I can help. I took my most popular vanilla cupcakes recipe and added champagne. Because… CHEERS! It’s a wedding! If you were to define “fancy schmancy celebration” with a dessert, these homemade wedding cupcakes with champagne frosting would be it.
Cupcake Batter
This recipe stems from my favorite vanilla cupcakes. The vanilla cupcake batter comes together in minutes. You need a box of cake flour and if you’re making a few batches, that’s great because then you can use up the whole box! Cake flour helps to produce the softest, lightest cakes and cupcakes you’ll ever eat. If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, you can make this homemade cake flour substitute. The egg whites are a 2nd non-negotiable. Egg whites help produce a light & fluffy texture. Since we are losing a little fat from the missing egg yolks, we can add that back in with sour cream. I mentioned this in the original vanilla cupcakes recipe, but it’s worth repeating: sour cream is a power ingredient in this recipe. Like the egg whites and cake flour, it lightens up the crumb. Greek yogurt could be used in its place, but I find that cupcakes made with sour cream are less dense.
Champagne x2
Instead of milk in the cupcake batter, use champagne. The cupcakes don’t exactly taste like champagne, but they definitely have a “sparkly” texture. (If that makes any sense?) Like my mimosa cupcakes! (← another option for DIY wedding cupcakes) The cupcake batter isn’t the only place where bubbly is hiding. Garnish the cupcake with a little champagne buttercream. Let’s toast to that!
Champagne Frosting
The frosting begins with a vanilla buttercream base. Super straightforward: butter + confectioners’ sugar. To that, we’ll add champagne and vanilla extract. But we need to reduce down the champagne on the stove before adding it. Why? Reducing the champagne packs an intense amount of flavor into a smaller amount of champagne. We can’t overload our frosting with liquid because that would ruin it. Rather, we will add a small amount of extreme champagne flavor. See that photo above? Left = champagne. Right = reduced and highly concentrated champagne. Look at the crazy color difference! So much flavor without ruining the texture of our creamy buttercream frosting. What type of champagne do I use? Your favorite. Same goes for my champagne sangria. After you reduce the champagne, make sure it cools to room temperature. Otherwise it will melt the butter in your frosting! Whenever I make champagne frosting, I reduce down the champagne once the cupcakes come out of the oven. That way the champagne can cool down as the cupcakes themselves cool down. Pipe a two-toned frosting rose on top and they’ll be ready for your wedding! You can pair them with any other of my spring dessert recipes for an epic celebration! These cupcakes taste a lot like my white wedding cupcakes, but they’re much softer. Keep that in mind if you’re torn between which two to make. Also… today’s cupcakes include champagne. So there’s that!! Tips for baking multiple batches and making ahead are in the recipe below!
