Earlier this month I noticed The Frugal Foodie Mama was hosting the first ever Spiked! Recipe Challenge, in collaboration with This Gal Cooks. The challenge asks food bloggers to create or adapt recipes that incorporate alcohol, and for January the featured ingredient was champagne or another sparkling wine.
The timing was perfect: I had half a bottle of champagne left over from New Year’s and I wanted to highlight the classic pairing of strawberries and bubbly. I briefly considered making strawberry macarons filled with champagne buttercream, but with limited time I chose a simpler approach — strawberry cupcakes topped with champagne buttercream frosting.
These cupcakes get their moisture and bright flavor from fresh strawberry puree. I used frozen berries to make my puree, which works well when fresh strawberries are out of season; when berries are at their peak, fresh will be even better. The puree tints the batter a pretty shade of pink. You can strain out the seeds if you prefer a silky texture, but I left them in and didn’t find them off-putting.
To intensify the champagne flavor without thinning the frosting, I reduce the sparkling wine by simmering it until some liquid evaporates. This concentrates the flavor and also cooks off a portion of the alcohol, although not all of it. The remaining alcohol is minimal, but keep that in mind if serving to children or guests avoiding alcohol.
The result is a light, flavorful cupcake where the strawberry adds sweetness and color while the champagne buttercream contributes a delicate, sparkling note. These cupcakes are ideal for brunches, celebrations, or any moment when you want a dessert that feels a little festive. If you want to adapt the recipe, try using different sparkling wines for subtle flavor changes or adjust the strawberry intensity by varying the amount of puree.
Below are the original recipe entries from the challenge for reference and printing:
[gmc_recipe 1958]
[gmc_recipe 1973]