This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These Champagne Cupcakes are filled with white chocolate champagne truffle filling and topped with champagne frosting! They are moist, light and FULL of champagne flavor! Perfect for a New Year’s Eve party or any celebration!
Table of Contents
Champagne Cupcakes
So, it has been busy around here lately. Brooks started crawling about a week and a half ago and now he’s everywhere all the time. He’s also getting SO close to walking – often standing completely on his own for 10 to 20 seconds at a time while clapping for himself and smiling and laughing. 🙂 It’s the cutest!
And Ashton just started crawling yesterday! I know I’m biased, but they are seriously the most adorable things ever. They get so excited for themselves when they hit these milestones and we get so excited with them. Ashton also isn’t far from walking and they are both so busy right now, it’s hard to keep up. Lately, it feels like they are just crushing milestones!
I’m always a little torn between being so excited for them and celebrating the milestone, and also knowing in the back of my mind that it’s a new phase and we’ve officially left an old one that will forever be gone. It’s the most amazing thing to watch them grow up, but I also want them to just stay my babies! Ultimately though, celebrating wins and if they were old enough, I’d totally give them a champagne cupcake to celebrate all the big things they’ve been doing lately. 🙂
But since they aren’t old enough, we’ll all have to celebrate for them. And since News Year’s Eve is a week away, we can also celebrate that, I guess. 😉 We aren’t really the type to go out and do much for New Year’s and this year that’s even more true, since we’ll be at home watching a couple babies on a monitor. But if there’s any good way to celebrate at home, it’s definitely with some tasty cupcakes.
And these champagne cupcakes are where it’s at! I have an older champagne cupcake recipe, but these would be my new and updated version. The other recipe features a denser cupcake, where as these are lighter. Both are super moist though! And these have the wonderful truffle filling, which makes them seem even lighter! So delicious and so much champagne flavor!
HOW TO MAKE CHAMPAGNE CUPCAKES
Step 1: Make a Champagne Reduction
So to get started making these champagne cupcakes, you want to start with the champagne. There’s a full two cups of champagne in here, but it’s cooked down (reduced) to 1 cup. It’s reduced by half, so you basically end up with twice the amount of flavor in half the amount of champagne. The benefit of doing that is that you’re able to add more champagne flavor with less liquid.
Step 2: Make the Truffle Cupcake Filling
After you’ve reduced the champagne, you can make the truffle filling. Truffles are basically made with a chocolate ganache center, and these cupcakes have a whipped white chocolate champagne ganache filling. You take the “truffle” and whip it up so that it’s light and fluffy. To put the filling together, you’ll heat the champagne reduction with some heavy whipping cream and then pour it over the white chocolate chips and allow the heat to melt the chips. Whisk it all together until it’s nice and smooth!
If you find that the white chocolate doesn’t completely melt, you can microwave it for another 10 to 20 seconds and then it should be good. Chill the ganache until it’s nice and firm.
Step 3: Make the Cupcakes & Ganache
Next up are the cupcakes! I started with the cupcake version of my Moist Vanilla Cake, which I love. It uses both butter and oil to create a cupcake that is both flavorful and moist.
While the cupcakes cool, take the chilled white chocolate ganache and whip it with your mixer until it forms soft peaks. You’ll notice it lighten in color and get light and fluffy. It’s pure heaven!
Step 4: Fill and Frost the Cupcakes
Cut the centers out of the cupcakes and fill them with the whipped white chocolate truffle filling. The last thing to make is the champagne frosting, then frost the cupcakes. The final combination is wonderful! So much champagne flavor in one cupcake – I’m in love! They really are so moist and light – perfect for celebrating with!
More Champagne Desset Recipes:
Strawberry Champagne Layer Cake
No Bake Champagne Cookie Pops
Mini Strawberry Champagne Cheesecakes
Mini Strawberry Champagne Trifles
Champagne Mousse with Chambord
Champagne Macarons
Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Truffle Filling
- Prep Time: 1 hr 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 min, plus cooling
- Yield: 12-14 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Champagne Cupcakes with white chocolate champagne truffle filling & topped with champagne frosting! This cupcake recipe is perfect for a celebration!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480ml) champagne
Champagne Truffle Filling
- 8 oz white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (60ml) champagne reduction, above
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream
Champagne Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups (163g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cups (155g) sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml) champagne reduction, above
- 2 tbsp (30ml) milk
Champagne Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp champagne reduction, above
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
1. To make the champagne reduction used in the cupcakes, filling and frosting, add all of the champagne to a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat until you’ve got 1 cup remaining. Don’t boil. To measure how much champagne remains, pour into a glass measuring cup. Add it back to the pan if it needs longer to cook down. When done, refrigerate until cool.
2. To make the filling, put the white chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
3. Put the champagne reduction and heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl and microwave until it begins to boil.
4. Pour the cream over the white chocolate chips and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. If needed, microwave the mixture for 10-20 more seconds, then whisk until smooth.
5. Set the ganache in the fridge to firm up, about 2-3 hours.
6. To make the cupcakes, prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
7. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
8. Add the butter, sugar and oil to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
9. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Add the vanilla extract with the second egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
10. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
11. Slowly add the milk and champagne and mix until well combined. The batter might look a little curdled, but that’s ok.
12. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
13. Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
14. Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
15. While the cupcakes cool, finish the filling. Put the chilled mixture in the bowl of a mixer and whip with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. You’ll notice the mixture lighten in color.
16. Cut out the centers of the cupcakes. You can use a cupcake corer or a knife.
17. Fill the centers of the cupcakes with the filling. Set the cupcakes in the fridge while you make the frosting.
18. To make the frosting, combine the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
19. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
20. Add 3 tablespoons of the champagne reduction and the salt to the frosting and mix until well combined.
21. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional champagne reduction as needed to get the right consistency.
22. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844. To see how to create the rosette design, see my cupcake frosting tutorial.
23. Sprinkle the edges of the frosting with sprinkles, if desired.
24. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve. Serve cool, but not cold. Cupcakes are best if eaten within 2-3 days.
Notes
The frosting recipe makes enough to top the cupcakes with full swirls. If you frost the cupcakes as shown, with rosettes, you could cut down on the frosting amount by about half.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 47.2 g
- Sodium: 236.4 mg
- Fat: 26.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 57.5 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 73.9 mg
Enjoy!
I have a question: can you use rose if you don’t have champagne?
Sure, that should be fine.
That should be fine.
Made these as cupcakes and they were delicious. Can this recipe be doubled and made into a cake using 3 cake pans?
So glad you enjoyed them! Yes, you can double it for a 3 layer cake. I usually do an 8 inch cake.
Why do you need to reduce the champagne?
So that you have a stronger champagne flavor. You would not really taste it if you did not reduce it.
Is there Any particular type of champagne you like to use?
Not really. Any kind should work.
Was very excited to make this .. The picture above doesn’t show the filling does it ? The filling in the picture looks like the frosting . The filling is not a fluffy as the frosting , is that correct ?
Love this recipe! The champagne reduction makes the flavor amazing.
Hi Lindsay, made these today to test them out and I am making more on New Year’s Eve. I am curious what champagne you used? Brut? Spumante? I also had an issue with my truffle filling I am hoping you can help me with. I chilled it for a couple of hours and then whipped it like the directions said. I have a stand mixer and used the whisk attachment. After 7 minutes I had a curdled mess, it was like the champagne separated from the chocolate and cream. Any idea why this might have happened?
I honestly don’t remember what champagne I used. Any should work though. For the filling – was it firm from being refrigerated before you whipped it? And if it was, then you only want to whip until it lightens and reaches soft peaks. It sounds like you over whipped it and it separated.
How many cupcakes does this recipe make for you I don’t want to overfill them? And can I skip reducing the champagne and just use the amount it’s reduced to instead? What difference does it make to the cupcake?
It makes 12-14 cupcakes. Reducing the champagne adds more champagne flavor. I don’t recommend skipping it.
For me, this recipe was a hot mess, which is disappointing and very surprising considering how similar it is to the other champagne cupcakes I’ve made from this site. I have way too much filling left over and the cupcakes were just falling apart even before I tried filling them, the frosting was way too loose (even after adding several more cups of powdered sugar than originally called for) so it wouldn’t keep its shape, and I feel like the overall time and effort for the result wasn’t worth it. I think I’ll stick with the other champagne cupcakes next time. I’m not sure what went wrong or how it was all that different, but live and learn.
Still love the site, though! 🙂
Hi Lindsay,
I tried making these and the truffle filling went so wrong – twice. I heated up the champagne and whipping cream and melted the chocolate, then put the mixture in the fridge to cool. When I put it in the mixer to whip, it didn’t get fluffy. Instead, it separated and got curdle-y and chunky almost. Am I missing a step?
Hmm, I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t ever had that happen. One thing to be careful of is not making the chocolate mixture too hot, which can cause separating. But as long as it looks like a cohesive mixture when you’ve initially made it, I’d think it would be fine when whipped.
This happened to me as well. I added more whipping cream when I was whipping it and it helped!
Hi Lindsay,
I would really love to try your champagne cupcakes however champagne is very expensive where I live are there any substitutes i can use that would give me the same taste.
Are you still trying to maintain the champagne flavor? I believe Wilton has champagne flavoring you could use as an extract and replace the champagne with water or milk. If you are looking for a truffle cupcake, I have a Strawberry Truffle Cupcake recipe.
Hi Lindsay, I don’t get shortening where I live. What would be a good substitute? Can I just add more butter? Please suggest. Thank you.
Butter will be fine.
I love your web site. I got your cookbook for Christmas and I LOVE IT. Question are you putting out another cookbook after this one. Thank you
Thank you, Roland! So glad you’re enjoying everything! I don’t have any plans for another cookbook right now. Sorry!
Does it matter what the flavor of champagne is? There are so many options
Not really. Any would be fine.
I might of overlooked it but what kind of champagne did u use?
I believe I used a Brut champagne, but really any would be fine.
What size cupcakes did you make? I thought these were the mini ones but bake time seemed like regular size, wanted to be sure
Yes, they are regular sized cupcakes.
Hi Lindsay, was looking for the perfect champagne cupcake recipe for NYE. I was so excited when I got this in my email. Question, I cannot find the step in the cupcake section, where I add the champagne, for the batter. I am going to mix it with the milk and cross my fingers. Thank you.
You are correct – it’s added with the milk. I’ve updated the recipe – thanks! I hope you enjoy them!
They turned out great, tagged you on IG, thank you!