These moist, fluffy Prosecco Cupcakes are topped with a smooth buttercream frosting. The flavor of sweet sparkling wine sets these apart from your basic cupcakes and turns them into the perfect New Year’s Eve dessert!
Pair these with our Prosecco Grapes, which are a boozy festive bite – wine lovers will gobble them up and beg you for the recipe.
Easy Champagne Cupcakes with Prosecco
These prosecco cupcakes are the perfect dessert for New Year’s Eve, engagement parties, birthdays, and any other special occasion when you want something that looks and sounds fancy, but is easy to make.
Golden, buttery cupcakes are topped with a sweet, smooth buttercream frosting. Prosecco (or your other favorite sparkling wine) is infused in both the cupcakes and the sweet buttercream frosting and while the alcohol bakes out, the sweet flavor is left behind.
I love the light flavor of these cupcakes and how moist and fluffy they are. They’re perfect served as a New Year’s Eve dessert this year with some sprinkles for an extra festive touch, but they can be enjoyed for any celebration!
Ingredients Needed
These sparkling wine cupcakes are made with your standard cupcake ingredients, with the addition of your favorite sparkling wine.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
For the Cupcakes
- Sparkling wine – Use any kind of sparkling wine you’d like. Prosecco is a little bit sweet, which works great for cupcakes.
- Flour – For the perfect texture, be sure to measure the flour properly with the spoon and level technique.
- Baking powder & baking soda – Our leavening agents that make the cupcakes rise.
- Salt – Balances out the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter – Use 1/3 cup of canola or vegetable oil instead of butter. I like the buttery flavor combined with the wine flavor, but they will bake the same with oil.
- Sugar – For sweetness.
- Eggs – Provides structure to the batter.
For the Buttercream Frosting
- Sparkling wine – Or use vanilla extract for the buttercream if you want to make sure they are alcohol-free.
- Unsalted butter – Bring the butter to room temperature so it’s easier to cream.
- Salt – This helps balance out the sweetness of powdered sugar, but feel free to omit.
- Confectioners sugar – Makes the buttercream sweet and perfectly smooth.
- Sprinkles – I got the round, gold sprinkles from Michael’s.
What Sparkling Wine Should I Use?
You can use any sparkling wine you wish, but I think these are better with a sweeter wine. Brut and Extra Dry wines will be less sweet whereas Prosecco and Sparkling Roses or Moscatos will be sweeter.
I used Barefoot Bubbly Prosecco, but any type of Prosecco would work well. It doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle either.
How to Make Prosecco Cupcakes
These champagne cupcakes are easy to make with just 20 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of bake time. The frosting takes just a few minutes to prepare as well.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
Make the Cupcakes
- Reduce the wine. Heat the wine over medium heat until it’s reduced to 2/3 cup. This should take just 5 minutes.
- Make the batter. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar and then mix in the eggs. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
- Add the wine. Pour in the reduced wine while still warm. Mix until the batter is very smooth.
- Bake. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of batter to each cupcake liner. Bake one pan at a time for 13 to 15 minutes.
- Cool. Transfer to a cooling rack while you prepare the buttercream.
Make the Buttercream
- Reduce the wine. Reduce the sparkling wine to 1/2 cup according to the directions above. Cool to room temperature.
- Cream the butter. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter until smooth.
- Add the other ingredients. Gradually add the salt and powdered sugar, until the buttercream looks thick and dry. Pour in the reduced wine and continue mixing. Continue adding the powdered sugar until the buttercream is smooth and stiff.
- Decorate the cupcakes. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a large star tip. After the cupcakes have cooled, pipe the buttercream and top with sprinkles.
Tips for Making Champagne Cupcakes
Here are a few tips for making these easy sparkling wine cupcakes.
- Use room temperature ingredients. The butter and eggs should both be at room temperature for this recipe, which allows them to combine with the other ingredients easily. The butter creams much better for the frosting when it’s at room temperature as well.
- Bake the cupcakes in batches. I highly recommend only baking one pan of cupcakes at a time, so that they bake evenly. They need to bake for just 13 to 15 minutes, so it goes by quickly. Insert a toothpick in the center of one to ensure it’s fully baked.
- Cool the wine for the frosting. The reduced wine should be added to the cupcake batter while hot but it needs to cool to room temperature before being added to the frosting. Otherwise, it will just melt the butter.
Are These Cupcakes Safe For Kids To Eat?
The wine is primarily added to these prosecco cupcakes for flavor. These are not boozy cupcakes.
The alcohol will bake out of the cupcakes, so they will be safe for children to eat. Even though the wine is reduced for the buttercream, there may be trace amounts of alcohol in the frosting, but not enough to be of concern.
If you want to play it safe, use vanilla extract in the buttercream frosting.
Proper Storage
- Storing leftovers. These prosecco cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If the room is too warm or if you live in a warm part of the country, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator to keep the buttercream from melting. You can also store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Make the buttercream in advance. If you want to make the frosting in advance, buttercream by itself can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days on its own. Just make sure to stir it well when you are ready to use it.
- Can I Freeze Alcohol-Infused Cupcakes? Yes, you can freeze these sparkling cupcakes for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Just thaw them on the counter and enjoy. However, I recommend freezing them without the buttercream frosting. You can easily whip that up in just a few minutes and add it before serving.
More Easy New Year’s Eve Desserts:
- Sugared Prosecco Grapes
- Eggnog Cookies
- Bailey’s Chocolate Truffles
- Butter Pecan Rum Cake
- Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Prosecco Cupcakes
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1 cup sparkling wine
- 2 cups flour , spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 3/4 cup sparkling wine
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups confectioners sugar
FOR DECORATING
- gold pearl sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 standard muffin pans with 19 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Pour the wine into a small saucepan and place over medium heat until the wine is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until the eggs are just incorporated.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix until the batter becomes thick and lumpy.
- Mix in the reduced wine while it's still warm until the batter is very smooth.
- Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner, then bake the cupcakes, one pan at a time, for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center cupcakes comes out clean.
- Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream
- Pour the wine into a small saucepan and place over medium heat until the wine is reduced by a 1/2 cup. Let the wine cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the salt and gradually add the powdered sugar. When the buttercream starts to look thick and dry, pour in the reduced wine, and continue mixing.
- Keep adding the powdered sugar into the buttercream until the buttercream is smooth and stiff. Transfer it to a piping bag with a large star tip.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe on the buttercream and decorate with gold pearl sprinkles.
