alcohol | champagne | cupcakes | frosting | holiday | I love... | miscellany | new year's eve | traditional with a twist | unique

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2011

It’s officially 2011!

I wish every one of you a safe, happy, and most of all, healthy New Year! See you later

on “this year” for more recipes & goodness… but in the meantime…

champagne cupcakes & Auld Lang Syne!

…

…

Everybody likes to have champagne on New Years Eve. Hell, even when I was a kid I had some champagne on New Years! So here’s a new twist on it; champagne cupcakes! Big thanks to Gimme Some Oven & AllRecipes for the recipe. My advice? Use really sweet champagne. I used Korbel Brut*, and it tasted delicious, but it might be too “dry” for some. And stay away from extra dry champagnes; use maybe an Asti or rose, or  even strawberry champagne (or Cold Duck, if you like… it’d make them a lovely reddish pink color). They’re not a moist, delicate cupcake you can eat 2 of in one sitting. They’re an elegant, dense cupcake that’s the ultimate dessert… perfect served with champagne. And maybe strawberries, since they bring out the flavor of champagne.

I used one of those little mini bottles that come in a 4-pack. The guy at my liquor store was kind enough to break up the pack when I explained I was making cupcakes with it, so that I didn’t have to waste an entire large bottle. He also looked at me very strangely. I’m used to that, though.

I sprinkled some edible pearls on top that reminded me of the bubbles in champagne, as well as gold sugar crystals.

Of course, I had to ring in the new year Cupcake Rehab-style with shiny pink foil liners from Sweet Cuppin Cakes!

…

2010 was a great year for Cupcake Rehab. So many amazing things happened, like the official Tru Blood Beverage website posting about my True Blood Velvet cupcakes back around Halloween, TLC asking me to interview Pamela Ahn, contestant on Buddy Valastro’s new show The Next Great Baker, and getting an e-mail from Martha Stewart’s marketing team. Big things may have started in 2010, but they’re only going to get bigger & better in 2011! I would like to take a second to thank all my readers, followers, “fans” & even you crazy lurkers. You’re (mostly) all amazing and the real reason I’m still doing this. Because yeah, I’d do it for a while (at least) if no one commented… but if no one read it- it’d start to get tedious and boring talking to myself. So thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so happy to have shared the last 3 years (and almost 4 months) with you. Here’s to 3 more years… hopefully longer, but time will tell! *cheers*

I know New Year’s isn’t just a time for celebrating; but for some a time of reflection and remembering. But I hope that during that reflection, none of you get too melancholy. It’s a time for new beginnings, new resolutions, turning over new leaves. So take a deep breath and put 2010 and all it’s accompanying mistakes  and sadness behind you. Not to forget them, but not to dwell on them, to allow a new hope and optimism to take over. Welcome 2011 and the chance for new opportunities with open arms.

And if all else fails, drink.

CHAMPAGNE CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup butter
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • ¾ cup champagne
  • 6 egg whites

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.
  3. In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold ⅓ of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔ full.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

SWEET CHAMPAGNE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

  • 3 ¼ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, depending on taste
  • 3 tablespoons champagne, at room temperature

Directions:

  1. With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes.
  2. Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute. Tada!

…

*I wasn’t in any way compensated for using or mentioning Korbel. I WISH!
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Champagne cupcakes Happy New Year! Sweet champagne buttercream

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  5. I just had champagne cupcakes at a wedding and just knew I had to check your site for a recipe when I got home! Thank you – the pictures already have my mouth watering – love the little pearls on top! Can’t wait to bake!

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