Champagne cake

champagne and strawberries, name a better duo! light, fluffy, and full of flavor

Tips

what champagne should i use?

I like to use Korbel, any dry and sweet champagne would be perfect. Don’t be afraid to go sweeter with it. You will use most of the bottle if you make the full recipe, so getting something cheap wouldn’t hurt either. Save the good stuff for midnight!

Strawberries for buttercream

to make the strawberry buttercream, you can use fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried strawberries. If using fresh or frozen, you will need to cook down the berries, removing all the liquid before adding to your buttercream.

Champagne Cake

Preparation Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 15 – 40 minutes | Serving size: 24 cupcakes or 1 9″ 3 layer cake, or 1 8″ 4 layer cake

Gather

champagne cake

• 4 whole eggs, separated, and 4 additional egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups (3 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
•  3 cups (390g) cake flour (substitution: 3 cups of All purpose flour, remove 6 tablespoons and add 6 tablespoons of cornstarch)
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
•  ¼ teaspoon  baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table  salt, if using kosher salt add ¼ teaspoon 
• 1 750ml of champagne (some will be used for the buttercream)
• ½ cup buttermilk (120ml), at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

strawberry buttercream

• 8 oz fresh or frozen strawberries, cut in quarters or 2 cup freeze-dried strawberries (1.2oz bag)  (what I used) 
• 2 cup butter (4 sticks), unsalted and softened (452g) 
• 6 cups of powdered sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest from 1 lemon 
• 2 – 4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk 
• 1 cup of champagne (from the 750ml bottle)

Follow

champagne cake

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of greased parchment paper. If making cupcakes, line the cupcake pan with paper cups. 
2. Separate whole eggs, placing the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in the mixing bowl. Using a whisk attachment on a stand or hand mixer, add the 4 additional egg whites (discard the yolks from these eggs). Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. You should be able to lift the whisk and the whites hold. Scrape the egg whites into another bowl. Clean your mixing bowl to reuse. 
3. Using a paddle attachment on the mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Occasionally stop to scrape the sides.
4. Add two of the egg yolks and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides. Add the remaining yolks and beat until combined.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a separate bowl and mix with a whisk just to combine. (Note: If substituting cake flour, make the substitution mix before adding the baking soda, powder and salt.) 
6. In a large measuring cup, stir together ½ cup champagne, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
7. Mixing on low speed, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the liquid, into the butter mixture. Mix in 4 sets (liquid, dry, liquid, dry), ending with dry ingredients. Beat on low to medium speed, just long enough to incorporate each new set. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
8. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter just until incorporated. Depending on how long the egg whites have been sitting, there may be liquid settled at the bottom, but that’s OK! (Note: Do not use a mixer to do this step.)
9. Pour the batter into your prepared pans. If making a cake, bake 30-40 min. If making cupcakes, bake 15-18 minutes. (I put about 3 tablespoons of batter in each cup.) The cakes will pull away from the sides of the pan, and will not jiggle in the center. Stick a toothpick into the center of one of the layers. If only cake crumbs stick, the cake is done. If there’s raw batter, you need additional time.
10. Optional: For more Champagne taste, reduce 1 cup of champagne to ½ cup in a saucepan on medium-medium low heat. Remove from heat when reduced, and let sit until cakes are ready. When the cake is out of the oven, brush the reduced Champagne over the cake.
11. Let the cakes cool on wire racks for 5 minutes in the pan (optional: brush with Champagne), then turn out of pans on a wire rack to cool completely. If you don’t plan on frosting immediately, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. Cake can be stored at room temperature for 1 day, or frozen for up to 2 months.

strawberry buttercream

1. In a saucepan, add 1 cup of champagne and reduce to ½ cup. Remove from heat and let cool. 
2. Place strawberries in a small food processor and pulse until they’ve become a fine powder. If using fresh or frozen strawberries, place in sauce pan and cook over medium heat, mashing until the liquid is gone and resembles a paste. Set aside and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt until completely combined. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until all has been added.
4. Add strawberry powder (or paste) and lemon zest, stir until combined. Gradually add heavy cream or milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you’ve reached a desirable, pipe-able consistency. (I typically need 3 tablespoons of milk or cream, but yours may vary.) Stream in reduced and cooled Champagne. Beat for 5-8 minutes until fully combined, light and fluffy. 
5. Frost cake or cupcakes and ring in the new year!

Note: When using freeze-dried strawberries, to get a stronger strawberry flavor, allow buttercream to sit for at least 1 hour before eating.