These Valentines’s Champagne Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting are delicious and perfect for Valentine’s day.
Valentine’s Day is a good excuse for chocolates, champagne, and all sorts of fancy treats. That’s not always the best thing if you’re still trying to eat healthily after Christmas!
These Champagne Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting are nice and light though, and they can be made from any sparkling wine you like. It’s a great excuse to have a bottle of champagne (or prosecco) with your Valentine’s meal, then serve these as a delicious dessert.
When you’re baking with gluten free flour, you must remember to add xantham gum. It works to replace the elasticity that gluten provides to the flour and allow mixes to expand and rise – that’s why so many gluten free breads and cakes end up like biscuits. It’s a good idea to mix the xantham gum and flour first while dry, to make sure it’s well distributed through the mix.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
cupcakes
|
- 125 g Unsalted Butter
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 175 g Gluten Free Plain Flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Xantham Gum
- 175 ml Champagne Or Prosecco
- 3 medium Egg Whites
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
- 200 g Icing Sugar
- 3 chopped Strawberries
- 25 ml Champagne Or Prosecco
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Frosting
|
|
- Pre-heat the oven to Fan 180°C/Gas 4/350°F.
- Cream together the butter and caster sugar for a few minutes. Add in the vanilla extract towards the end.
- Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, baking power and xantham gum – until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients and the champagne, a little at a time, into the creamed butter and sugar.
- Separate the egg whites (you can use the yolks for a different recipe).
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and they hold their shape
- Fold the egg whites into the butter and flour mixture until well-combined.
- Divide the mix between the cupcake cases. Try to smooth it down well, as gluten free mixes don't always grow and spread as much as you expect.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned on top. If you can insert a stick and it comes out clean, then they're done.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cupcakes will need to be cool before you frost them.
- Cream together the butter and half the icing sugar. Add the rest of the icing sugar as the mix comes together.
- Blend or puree the chopped strawberries and mix with the shot of champagne (or prosecco).
- Mix the strawberry and champagne puree into the creamed butter and sugar, a little bit at a time, until you get a nice pink colour and fragrance – make sure you don't add too much that the frosting becomes too wet.
- Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes. Make sure the cupcakes are nice and cool or the frosting will run.
- You can add any extra decorations you like!
You could make this into one big cake if you prefer – you'll need two sandwich tins, and will need to double the quantities and extend the baking time by a few minutes.