Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

A very long time ago (like years ago) I made some Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes for a super good friend of mine and they turned out quite delicious.  Recently, a friend of hers had a super sweet simple wedding on the bay and requested I make the same Strawberry Champagne cupcakes I made years ago! I guess it didn't matter that I was a cookie company :).  Of course I was happy to do it but I haven't made a cupcake in SO long I had to turn to our trusted friend the internet to find a good recipe and I did! With a few tweaks the cupcakes came out delightful! (Even though my icing skills aren't).  Lucky for me she cared more about the taste than the look and she was one very happy bride :).

Champagne Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 egg whites

1 cup Champagne

Strawberry-Champagne Filling:

1 cup champagne I used the barefoot pink moscato and it made it just the right amount of sweet with no extra sugar)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 pint strawberries, hulled

Champange Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup champagne

Instructions

1.    Bake the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat in egg whites one at a time. Beat in flour mixture and champagne in three alternating additions, starting and ending with dry mixture. Pour batter into tins and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

2.   Make the strawberry filling: Cook the champagne over medium-high heat until the mixture is reduced by about half. Whisk in cornstarch and allow the mixture to thicken. Pour into food processor bowl and allow to cool. Add strawberries and pulse until combined.

3.   Make the champagne buttercream frosting: Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla, salt, and champagne; beat until frosting is creamy.

4.   Assemble the cupcakes: Using a small paring knife, cut a small cone from the top of each cupcake. Fill with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake, swirling decoratively. Finish them off with a couple of candied strawberry chips, and serve.