This is the best recipe for Pink Champagne Cupcakes with bubbly sweet champagne flavor, perfect for special occasions.
Dress them up a little and create the perfect display for all your showers and events! They aren’t just cute… they are so delicious.
Years ago when we first moved to Kansas City, through Dean and Deluca, I discovered a great local bakery, Three Women and an Oven. They offered the most beautiful (and best tasting) pink champagne cupcakes.
At the time, I had never even heard of a champagne cupcake, but they were so subtly sweet it became my favorite treat!
There are a few things that set these cupcakes apart. First, their size… which makes the perfect cake-to-icing ratio. Second, they are glazed and then iced! The glaze that covers and hardens on them takes them to the next level. The fluffy buttercream tops it off.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Celebratory – These bite sized pink champagne cupcakes are the perfect baby shower dessert, and great for birthday parties and New Year’s Eve as well!
Elegant Upgrade – Champagne adds a distinctive essence to these beautiful treats.
Shortcut – Make these by upgrading your favorite cake mix! Yes! It’s the easiest little trick and I just know you’re going to love them.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cake Mix – one box of white or vanilla cake mix.
- Pink Champagne – see below for recommendations
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Food Coloring – Optional
Glaze
- Powdered sugar – the only kind of sugar you’ll ever need for frostings and glazes. Learn how to make powdered sugar here if you’re ever in a pinch.
- Milk – I like to use whole for frostings, but anything you have on hand will work.
- Pink champagne {rosé} – see below for suggestions on style!
Pink Champagne Frosting
- Butter – softened, I like to use salted butter to balance the sweet but unsalted is fine too.
- Powdered sugar – also called confectioner’s sugar.
- Pink champagne {rosé} – anything you want, just make sure you like it so you can drink the rest of the bottle!
- Vanilla {clear if you have it} – it’s so easy to make your own homemade vanilla!
- Red food coloring – turns your icing into the perfect shade of pink to compliment your cupcakes.
Tools to Use
- Mixer (You can also mix by hand)
- Mini Bundt Pan (as pictured in this recipe)
- Or, a Mini Muffin Pan
- Baking Spray
Test Kitchen Tips
- This recipe is written for miniature cupcakes. If you’re doing a traditional sized cupcake, you’ll need to bake longer – aim for 17 minutes.
- Baking Dishes – While we showcase these little cupcakes in a mini bundt pan, you can bake in traditional paper cupcake liners if you’d like.
- Need a substitution for an ingredient? Learn more about baking substitutions here!
Best Champagne to Use in Baking
- Your favorite rosé! But truly, any bubbles will do. No need to splurge.
- Brut Nature
- Extra Brut
- Brut
- Demi-Sec – medium dry
- Doux – sweet
Sparkling Wine Options
- Prosecco (try these Prosecco Mimosas one day, too!)
- Moscato
- If you like how it tastes, you’ll love it in these pink champagne cupcakes and frosting!
Pink Champagne Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1¼ cup pink champagne {rosé}
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 egg whites
- 3-5 drops red food coloring
Glaze
- 3 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons pink champagne {rosé}
Icing
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup pink champagne {rosé}
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract {clear if you have it}
- 2-3 drops red food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Combine cake mix and champagne.1 box white cake mix, 1¼ cup pink champagne
- Add vegetable oil, egg whites and red food coloring until combined. Don't over-mix.⅓ cup vegetable oil, 3 egg whites, 3-5 drops red food coloring
- Pour batter directly into bundt or muffin tins just over half full.
- Bake 10 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and trim any excess off with a cake knife. Flip onto a wired rack stacked over an easily cleanable surface.
- Combine glaze ingredients and microwave until pourable. Pour in a circular motion to cover most of your cupcakes – it's easiest to do this while they are on a wire rack, to allow the glaze to run off. Allow to solidify a few minutes.3 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk, 2 tablespoons pink champagne
- Combine icing ingredients. Put into an icing bag with your favorite tip or cut the corner of a ziplock bag to insert your tip. Pipe onto your cupcakes.½ cup butter, 4 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup pink champagne, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-3 drops red food coloring
- Refrigerate before serving.
Julie’s Tips
- This recipe is written for miniature cupcakes, as pictured. If you’re doing a traditional sized cupcake, you’ll need to bake longer – aim for 17 minutes.
- I like to make these pretty cupcakes in a miniature bundt pan. It elevates them for special occasions and it eliminates the need for cupcake liners. You can however bake in muffin or cupcake tins.
- Store up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature or up to a week refrigerated.
- Substitute with sparkling white wine if you prefer.
Champagne Suggestions
- Use your favorite rosé! Any bubbles will do… No need to splurge.
Brut Nature
Extra Brut
Brut
Demi-Sec – medium dry
Doux – sweet
You can substitute sparkling wine if you prefer.
Prosecco
Moscato
Storage Notes
Store up to three days in an airtight container at room temperature or up to a week refrigerated. You can also freeze these cupcakes! Simply store in an airtight container and defrost overnight before serving.Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
I loved this recipe! the taste was amazing…they were a big hit!
Perfect dessert for Mother’s Day brunch! Yum!
Oh my word, these are lovely! And they look easy to make which is even better as I often host large parties at our riverfront home and am always looking for impressive, yet easy recipes to add to the files. Your website is just stunning! I am an absolute sucker for pretty things and will start following you right now 🙂
I have never heard of these before but they sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing. I will now have to try them. They look wonderful.
They’re SO good. There’s really nothing like them. I’m not a big cake fan but can’t keep my hands off them. Enjoy!
Julie I think the recipe got a bit mixed up…is the really 7 cups of sugar in them? Please take a look at the posting on the website site.
I want to try them but wanted to be sure all is correct before making them…They look DEVINE!
It’s right – don’t judge. I promise you won’t regret it! Keep in mind it makes a nice sized batch, too. You are welcome to eliminate either the glaze or the icing, but I encourage you to try both. Enjoy!
Julie, these look so scrumptious. I’m needing a light blue color though for a shower I’m hosting. Any idea on what flavors or ingredients I could use? Thank you!
The cupcakes were delicious..