Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes

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These Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes are made with a moist cupcake filled with orange and champagne flavor, then topped with cranberry frosting that’s flavored with a bit more champagne! These cupcakes are a classic Cranberry Mimosa Cocktail in cupcake form – perfect for the holidays!

This post is sponsored by Challenge Dairy, but all opinions are my own.

Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes recipe

Easy Mimosa Cupcakes with Champagne

I love a good cocktail. They just make you feel fancy. Not to mention they’re delicious. And champagne cocktails are extra fancy and delicious!

I’ve actually been drinking champagne for like a month straight. I mean not like all day every day, but regularly. Really ever since my cookbook – Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes – came out. We threw a little cookbook release celebration party and I was gifted a good number of bottles of champagne and I can’t let them go to waste, right? 🙂

And my preferred way to drink champagne is as a cocktail, whether it’s as a mimosa or with a flavored liqueur. And cranberry mimosas are just so festive and holiday appropriate for this time of year! So making them into cupcakes was totally a no brainer.

Best Cranberry Mimosa CupcakesEasy Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes with cranberry frosting

How to Make Mimosa Cupcakes

These cupcakes begin with the a moist and fluffy base! The butter and sugar is creamed together to ensure plenty of fluff in every bite. 🙂 Of course I used my favorite Challenge Butter. It’s seriously the most creamy and lovely butter. It’s 100% real cream butter with no artificial ingredients. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should.

The cupcakes are then flavored with both fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest and champagne! On top is the cranberry frosting. It’s made by first cooking the cranberries a bit until they soften and pop. They are then put into a food processor to puree. They don’t get quite as smooth as some purees and have a good bit of skin, so you’ll want to push everything through a fine mesh sieve to get just the good fruity puree. That’s added to the frosting along with a bit more champagne. Can’t ever have too much champagne! 🙂

The frosting naturally is a pretty shade of pink, but I added some red gel icing color to give them a fun holiday look that’s perfect for your holiday table or a party! The final combination of orange, cranberry and champagne is delightful! The cupcakes are moist, fluffy and full of flavor and my new fave for a holiday celebration!

Favorite Cranberry Mimosa CupcakesCranberry Mimosa holiday Cupcakes

You might also like:

Champagne Cupcakes
Strawberry Champagne Layer Cake
No Bake Champagne Cookie Pops
Mini Strawberry Champagne Trifles
Mini Strawberry Champagne Cheesecakes
Champagne Mousse with Chambord

Print
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close up image of Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes on cake stand
Recipe

Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes

  • Author: Life, Love and Sugar
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 17 minutes
  • Total Time: 57 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 Cupcakes
  • Category: Cupcakes
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes made with moist cupcakes filled with orange & champagne flavor, then topped with cranberry champagne frosting!


Ingredients

SPARKLING CRANBERRIES

  • 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) water
  • 1 cup (120g) fresh cranberries

CUPCAKES

  • 6 tbsp (84gunsalted Challenge butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (155g) sugar
  • 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup (57g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp (15g) grated orange zest
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups (163g) all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp (8g) baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp (45ml) fresh squeezed orange juice, room temperature
  • 7 tbsp (105ml) champagne, room temperature

FROSTING

  • 1 cup (120g) fresh cranberries
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) water
  • ½ cup (104g) sugar
  • ½ cup (112gsalted Challenge butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (95g) vegetable shortening
  • 3 cups (345g) powdered sugar
  • 24 tbsp (30-60ml) champagne
  • 12 Oranges, sliced

Instructions

1. To make the cranberries, bring 1/2 cup sugar and the water to a simmer in a saucepan. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Pour simple syrup into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Add cranberries and stir to coat. Refrigerate cranberries in syrup overnight, stirring a couple times to coat with syrup.
4. To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
5. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
6. Add vanilla extract, sour cream and orange zest and mix until well combined.
7. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined.
8. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl, then combine orange juice and champagne in another bowl.
9. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the orange juice mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
10. Fill cupcake liners about halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
11. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
12. Remove the sparkling cranberries from the syrup and roll in the remaining cup of sugar. You’ll need to roll them a few times to get a couple layers of sugar on them. Set cranberries aside to dry for about 30 minutes to an hour.
13. To make the frosting, combine cranberries, water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook on medium-high heat for approximately 5-7 minutes, until the cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
14. Transfer cranberries to a food processor and puree. Strain the puree though a fine mesh sieve. You should end up with about ¼ cup (60ml) of cranberry puree. Set aside.
15. Beat the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
16. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
17. Add the cranberry puree and mix until well combined.
18. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
19. Add 2-4 tbsp of champagne, as needed, until the frosting is a good consistency for piping.
20. Pipe the frosting onto the top of the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 808.
21. Top the cupcakes with the sparkling cranberries, plain cranberries and quarter slices of oranges.
22. Store cranberries in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Best served at room temperature.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
  • Calories: 483
  • Sugar: 63 g
  • Sodium: 60.3 mg
  • Fat: 19.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 75 g
  • Protein: 2.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 32 mg

Filed Under:

Enjoy!

Homemade Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes recipe

Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes! A cupcake flavored with orange and champagne and cranberry frosting! Perfect for Christmas!



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12 Comments
  1. Martha

    Hi again Lindsay!  I’m looking for a champagne cupcake recipe, lol and behold you’ve got one!  Anyway, in 2014 you have one that is staright champagne but in 2016 you reduced the champagne for more flavor less liquid ratio…. which is your preferred method these days?  I’m making bridal shower champagne cupcakes with starwberry frosting (the freeze dried recipe in your strawberries n cream recipe).  

    1. Lindsay

      I would probably go with this cupcake to go with that frosting. The other champagne cupcakes have the benefit of a champagne frosting as well, for stronger flavor. With just champagne in the cupcakes, the reduced champagne is the way to go. Enjoy!

  2. Karren

    Hi Lindsay,
    These cupcakes look sweet and delicious. I can’t wait to give it a try on this Christmas. Will report the result soon.

  3. Sarah Oros

    Made these for a holiday party and they came out AMAZING (albeit a little time consuming but totally worth it)!!!!!! Thank you for posting the recipe!

  4. Aunt J

    I am not sure which I enjoy more: the recipe or the stunning photography and eye popping presentation. I have had so much fun watching over time as your expertise became even more apparent. It is so about loving what you do and making sure your readers get it. We do! I personally believe food is half look and half cook. You knock it out of the park with each post. I rarely read one of your posts without a smile across my face. My Hubs walks by, sees me grinning and asks, “your friend Lindsay?” Mostly he wants to know how soon he can sample your latest. If he really enjoys something new, he wants to know, “is this from Lindsay?” You have two followers under this roof! Merry Christmas to you and your Hubs, my friend, Lindsay.

    1. Lindsay

      Thank you so much for the sweet comment Aunt J! I’m so glad you enjoy the blog! It’s amazing to look back over the change in the last few years, huh? Thanks for letting me into your life and kitchen! 🙂

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29