There's something fun about popping a bottle of prosecco… and then pouring a splash of it straight into cupcake batter, amirite?! These prosecco cupcakes bake up soft, fluffy, and moist, and those tiny little prosecco bubbles do their thing. Just pop the bottle and get to whisking!
I am obsessed with these prosecco cupcakes. The crumb stays incredibly light, and suddenly you've got the perfect dessert for birthdays, brunches, random Tuesdays… basically any occasion that deserves a little sparkle.
TL; DR Recipe Summary
- Bake Level: Easy/Beginner
- Bake Time: ~20 minutes
- Taste: Sweet, creamy, moist, fluffy
- Best Paired With: My prosecco cupcakes pair well with just about anything including being served as a dessert option along with frosted tiramisu cookies, no bake s'mores parfait cups, chocolate peppermint cookies, or with a chocolate peppermint espresso martini.
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Trusted Tips and Key Reminders
- For best results in terms of texture and taste, room temperature ingredients are very important in this recipe. The cupcake batter comes together easier and is less lumpy and broken.
- Measure everything with a scale. Using a scale especially when baking something precise like cupcakes or cookies really makes a big difference in terms of taste, texture, and consistency. A little more or a little less of an ingredient cant be the difference between a moist and flavorful cupcake and a cake that is on the drier side.
- Once the batter is in the cupcake liners, bang the pan once or twice on the counter to get out all the air bubbles.
Prosecco Vs Champagne
Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine traditionally from the Veneto region in Italy. It ranges from dry to semi-dry, and with a wide variety of brands to choose from, you can't go wrong! It's one of my favorite wines to drink and sip with girlfriends, and it tastes even more delicious mixed into cupcake batter.
Prosecco is different than Champagne, although lots of people use it interchangeably. Champagne traditionally comes from Champagne region of France, and is not Italian. Champagne is typically drier and less sweet than Prosecco.
The Main Ingredients
- Eggs - Eggs at room temperature help to make these cupcakes super moist and have a great fluffy texture.
- Sugar - Cane sugar, or even granulated sugar, help with the overall sweetness of the cake matter.
- Vanilla Extract - The most relied upon, standard ingredient in any baked good or dessert.
- Oil - Any neutral oil is great in this recipe. Vegetable, olive, or avocado oil are what I suggest to choose from.
- Half and Half - We don't use much, but the half and half specifically helps with the moistness and any extra fat added will aid in a deliciously velvet mouthfeel.
- Prosecco - Prosecco is a semi-dry sparkling Italian wine that has just enough bubbles to add flavor, tang, and a little zip in each bite of the cupcakes. I like to use the La Marca brand of prosecco.
- Dry Ingredients - Dry ingredients like all purpose flour and baking powder combine to give a light, fluffy, and bright cupcake.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Recipe Swaps and Substitutions
- Flour: I would suggest sticking to all purpose flour or pastry flour. If you need to use a gluten free flour, I swear by Primal Palate or Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour.
- Sugar: Sugar is important in this recipe not just for the sweetness, but for the texture and airy flavor. I would not swap this, but you can use granulated or cane sugar here.
- Prosecco: If you want to change the Prosecco to champagne for champagne cupcakes, technically you can. It might not be a sweet, but the flavor will be there.
- Oil: The only oils I would recommend using are either vegetable, olive, or avocado oil. I do not recommend using coconut oil as the coconut flavor is not what we want in these cupcakes.
How to make prosecco cupcakes
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375º and line a muffin tin with disposable muffin cups. In a large mixing bowl using a hand whisk, mix the wet ingredients together (sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract).
Step 2: To the wet ingredients, pour in the Prosecco, then whisk together again to combine the sparkling wine.
Step 3: To the same bowl, add in the all purpose flour and baking powder. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Using a large cookie scoop, fill each of the cupcake liners with the cupcake batter halfway. This leaves room for the cupcake to rise well without overflowing.
Bake in the oven for 16 minutes. Test with a toothpick, and if it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done baking.
Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and let cool completely on a wire rack for cooling rack for at least an hour before adding the homemade frosting.
Step 5: As the cupcakes cool, in a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, soft butter, half and half, vanilla, and Prosecco.
Using a hand mixer on medium speed, combine the ingredients until it becomes a soft frosting. This should take 2-3 minutes. Do not overmix. Once the icing forms, stop!
Step 6: You have two options for icing the cupcakes: you can use a piping bag, or use an offset spatula to add the frosting the tops.
If you are doing the piping bag, add the frosting to the bag and snip the end of the bag.
If you want to use the offset spatula, simply scoop a tablespoon of the frosting and add it to the top of each cupcake, then smooth out with the flat side of the spatula. Repeat for the remaining cupcakes. Add sprinkles and serve!
Prosecco Cupcakes FAQs
I would suggest adding these cupcakes to an airtight container to store on the countertop for 2-3 days, or up to 5 days in the fridge. If you have the cupcakes in the fridge, bring the cupcakes to room temperature before serving.
You can easily top these cupcakes with fresh fruit like sliced fresh strawberries, blueberry compote, a dusting of cocoa powder, or a drizzle of chocolate hazelnut spread.
Yes! You can bring these cupcakes in a container, plastic wrap (and add the frosting later), or in cupcake cases.
You can freeze these before adding the frosting by wrapping in plastic wrap, then wrapping again in aluminum foil and labeling the date that you baked them. When you want to use them, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature prior to adding any toppings or frosting.
You can! They'll just be standard vanilla cupcakes, but they're amazing either way!
Check out these other recipes you can easily pair these cupcakes with:
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Prosecco Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
- electric hand mixer
- whisk
- spatula
- Scale optional
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the Cupcake Batter
- 192 grams All Purpose Flour 1 ½ cups
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 125 grams Cane Sugar ½ cup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ cup Oil
- 3 tablespoon Half and Half room temperature
- ¼ cup Prosecco
For the Boozy Frosting
- 2 ½ cups Confectioner's Sugar
- 1 stick Butter very soft
- 2 tablespoon Half and Half
- 3 tablespoon Prosecco
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 375º and line a muffin tin with disposable muffin cups. In a large mixing bowl using a hand whisk, mix the wet ingredients together (sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract).
- To the wet ingredients, pour in the Prosecco, then whisk together again to combine the sparkling wine.
- To the same bowl, add in the all purpose flour and baking powder. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula. Do not overmix.
- Using a large cookie scoop, fill each of the cupcake liners with the cupcake batter halfway. This leaves room for the cupcake to rise well without overflowing.
- Bake in the oven for 16 minutes. Test with a toothpick, and if it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done baking. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and let cool completely on a wire rack for cooling rack for at least an hour before adding the homemade frosting.
For the Frosting
- In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, soft butter, half and half, vanilla, and Prosecco.
- Using a hand mixer on medium speed, combine the ingredients until it becomes a soft frosting. This should take 2-3 minutes. Do not overmix. Once the icing forms, stop!
- If you are doing the piping bag, add the frosting to the bag and snip the end of the bag. If you want to use the offset spatula, simply scoop a tablespoon of the frosting and add it to the top of each cupcake, then smooth out with the flat side of the spatula. Repeat for the remaining cupcakes. Add sprinkles and serve!
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