Strawberries and champagne. It’s maybe one of the simplest pairings to arrange, yet there’s something so luxurious about the combination. Pop open a bottle of bubbly, throw some strawberries into the mix, and it turns any night into a celebration! Seriously, call me a cheap date, but I can’t think of any special occasion that wouldn’t be absolutely perfect with simply a bottle of champagne and a few strawberries. Ok, and maybe a cupcake too. That’s why on the day my friend Erica officially completed her Ph.D, we celebrated with a glass of bubbly and a strawberry champagne cupcake. So easy and so decadent!

I love, love, LOVE decorating cupcakes with rainbow nonpareils. The tiny nonpareils are just so sweet and pretty, as opposed to the rainbow sprinkles that you can get at any local frozen yogurt shop. Don’t get me wrong, I love those too, but for a celebratory, special occasion cupcake, you gotta go with the rainbow nonpareils. For a fancy touch, try taking your champagne flute, dipping it in a little bit of honey, and decorating the top of the glass with some of these delightful sugary accents. Just a disclaimer, you should have your camera on hand, because this cupcake and cocktail combination will be so pretty, you’ll want to take lots and lots of photos. Cheers!

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pureed strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup extra dry champagne
• 2 tsp strawberry extract
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs

How: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together champagne, strawberry extract, and strawberry puree; set aside. In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add eggs until just blended. Slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until blended. Add the champagne mixture until combined. Slowly add remaining flour mixture. Spoon into cupcake pan and bake for 18 minutes.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup diced strawberries
• 1 stick butter
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp strawberry extract

How: In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the diced strawberries and strawberry extract until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with rainbow nonpareils.

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