There are few things in life that no matter what bring me pure joy, one of those being a refreshing mimosa with cupcakes being a close second. But what happens when you combine both into a bubbly, sweet and tangy treat? Imagine the same feeling you get when you see the waiter coming your way with refills on your bottomless mimosa Sunday morning at your favorite brunch spot. That feeling all baked up into a delicious, moist and mouth watering cupcake that is to die for!

I woke up this morning to the sun shinning (which for Portland in March is a surprising treat!) and a strong urge to bake while drinking mimosas, the windows open and music playing. I found a fun recipe on Pinterest that seemed easy enough to convert to a gluten free version.

**BEGINNER BAKER EXPERIENCE** The original recipe calls for “cake flour” but I have only ever used all purpose (AP) flour so I wasn’t sure if this recipe would work with gluten free flour. Turns out the only difference between cake flour and all purpose flour is the protein content: cake flour has about 8%  protein content and AP flour has between 10-11%. Protein content is what becomes the gluten so I figured if a flour with less protein powder is called for then a substitute with no protein powder should work (fingers crossed).

Do you know the difference between champagne and cava? I had no idea until recently. A true champagne must come from the Champagne region in France and is produced using a traditional method. Cava is comparable but the grapes are primarily Spanish. I suggest using a true champagne or cava for this recipe instead of a sparkling wine. Segura Viudas is my go to cava for any drink recipe calling for a sparking beverage. My local grocery store carries it for under $9 a bottle!

Probably the best thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t use the whole bottle of bubbly so you can enjoy a mimosa (or two!) with fresh squeezed orange juice while you bake. Talk about a win, win, win situation!

These cupcakes are filled AND topped with champagne, making them beyond perfect for a summer backyard brunch party or light summer night snack.

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups – gluten free flour

1/2 tsp – baking powder

1/4 tsp – baking soda

1/4 tsp – salt

1/2 cup (2 sticks) – unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup – granulated sugar

3 eggs, whites only

1 tsp – vanilla extract

1 large orange

1 1/2 tbsp – fresh orange zest

1/3 cup sour cream, full fat

1/2 cup champagne or cava

CHAMPAGNE FROSTING:

3/4 cups – champagne or cava

1 cup (2 sticks) – unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups – powdered sugar

1 tsp – vanilla extract

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350• with the rack in the center of the oven. Line 15 muffin slots with cupcake liners (I had to buy both of these #beginnerbaker).

Combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together until mixed evenly, set aside.

Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer beat the butter until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Slowly add in granulated sugar until it makes a creamy mixture scraping the edges of the bowl down as needed.

Next add egg whites and vanilla extract until mixed together, then add the orange zest and sour cream.

Slowly incorporate the dry mixture, making sure all clumps mix out.

After scraping the sides down, hand whisk the champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice into the batter without over mixing.

Using a spoon fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full, approximately  15 cupcakes.

I filled mine a little too much causing them to puff over, rookie mistake.

Bake for 18-25 minutes using the toothpick trick to test if the inside of the cupcakes are cook thoroughly. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack for the remainder of the cooling period.

While the cupcakes are in the over, bring champagne to a boil in a small saucepan and cook on medium for 7-1o minutes. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool.

Using your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the butter and granulated sugar 1 cup at a time together until creamy. Then add the chilled champagne and vanilla extract with a pinch of salt.

This is the first time I’ve used a piping bag, how exciting! I want to research other techniques and tips for fancier icing in the future. If you don’t have pipping bags a zip-lock bag works just the same.

Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before icing the top. Garnish with orange peel or  raspberries, just like a mimosa any fruit tastes delicious.

Enjoy!

Original recipe post: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/08/19/fresh-squeezed-mimosa-cupcakes/