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Toast the new year with this recipe for champagne cupcakes from Half Baked Harvest.

People get more excited over a champagne cupcake than they do a boring old vanilla one.

Just like any cupcake batter, this one has your usual ingredients, oil (my secret to an extra moist cupcake), sugar, flour, etc. The champagne is mixed in at the end, lightening the batter. Once baked, the cupcakes come out incredibly soft, moist, and fluffy. The champagne also adds a nice subtle flavor and a touch of fruity sweetness.

For the frosting, I decided to make a champagne caramel buttercream.

Yes, a champagne caramel buttercream. It’s just as delicious and sweet as it sounds. The homemade champagne caramel takes your everyday buttercream to a new level. It’s delicious, especially when piled high atop these fluffy cupcakes. Decorate each cupcake with edible gold leaf, some glittered-out star cupcake toppers, and candles, and you’ll have the perfect cupcake for any New Year’s Eve get together. Lastly? If you don’t get around to making these for New Year’s Eve, but end up having a few bottles of leftover champagne, these cupcakes would be the perfect way to use up any extra bottles of bubbly.

ingredients

Edible Gold Leaf Champagne Cupcakes Recipe
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup champagne
Champagne Caramel:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup champagne
Champagne Buttercream:
2 sticks salted butter 1 cup
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cooled champagne caramel sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

directions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the canola oil, sugar, eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the champagne and mix until combined. The batter should be pourable, but not super thin.
Pour the batter among the muffin tins and bake 18-20 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.

To make the caramel:

In a large saucepan cook the sugar over moderately high heat, stirring constantly with a heat proof rubber spatula until the sugar has melted and turns a deep golden caramel, remove the skillet from the heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter, one by one, whisking until combined. The caramel will bubble, this is ok. Now slowly add the cream, then the champagne, and then whisk until combined. Return the pot to the heat and, cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring until the caramel has thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

To make the buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer) beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the caramel and vanilla, beat until combined. Add the heavy cream and beat another 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy, add more cream to your liking.
Frost each cupcake as desired. Decorate with gold leaf. The cupcakes will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge, bring to room temp before eating.