These lemon Prosecco cupcakes have a fluffy, quick-mix cupcake base and one-step Prosecco buttercream with a subtle boozy note from the sweet Prosecco. With a little edible glitter, pearl sprinkles, and sparkler candles on top, these cupcakes will have you reminiscing about your favorite bubbly cocktail while enjoying this elegant treat.
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A Classic Cocktail in Cupcake Form
I discovered my absolute favorite cocktail (and the only one I ever make at home now) when I was working as a pastry cook in a high-end restaurant in downtown Chicago. After your shift, drinks were 75%-off at the bar, so naturally, I couldn't pass up an offer like that up!
My cocktail, which the bartender titled "pillow talk" (for reason I will never know lolz), was a modern twist on the classic French 75. It started with a little simple syrup, then some elderflower cordial, half a shot of vodka, a dash of lemon juice, and was finally topped off with some bubbly Prosecco (and a lemon twist of course!).
Is Prosecco Champagne?
You may ask, is Prosecco Champagne? The short answer is no. It's made in a different place (Prosecco is from Italy, Champagne is from France), and actually uses a different fermentation process as well.
Now, I love my evening cocktail, or glass of wine, or heading out for drinks at Pine or Simon Pearce (my favorite local cocktail spots). But I'm definitely not a wine snob and never cared much for how expensive my drink was, but simply for what tastes good to me.
There are many kinds of bubbly booze on the market - Prosecco, Champagne, pink Prosecco, Lambrusco, sparkling white wine or rosé - but Prosecco is always my go-to because of its natural sweetness that's pleasant, but not overwhelming (as I have an insatiable sweet tooth...surprising I know hehe).
And considering every special occasion I attend always involves at least one glass of Prosecco, I figured I might as well whip up some Prosecco cupcakes for a festive boozy treat as well!
Ingredient Tips for Better Baking
(Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)
- Prosecco: if you enjoy Prosecco, feel free to grab a big bottle, pop it open right when you're ready to bake, and enjoy the extras as a cocktail or just on their own afterwards. But if you would like to get just enough for your recipe, then you can just grab one of the mini bottles (aka 187ML Split) and that'll satisfy your needs for both the cupcakes and frosting.
- Lemons: if possible, zest your lemon directly over your mixer bowl so the oils that are released during the zesting process (which you often can't really see) make it into your batter too! The lemon is also a subtle flavor in this treat, so feel free to add a little more zest to your frosting to taste if you like.
- Decorations: there are countless ways to decorate cupcakes, but I wanted to give you all the details of how I finished mine in the photos. That said, all those decoration elements are completely optional and feel free to change up the frosting styling to your preference.
(p.s. for all the basic tips that no one ever taught you, that are super important to help you bake your best, check out my Baking 101 series!)
Special Tools You'll Need
The only special equipment I recommend here is, of course, a mixer, and then a piping bag and pastry tip (I used Ateco #857) if you'd like to finish the cupcakes with a rosette as shown in the photos.
An ice cream scoop is also really helpful for easy portioning!
How to Make Prosecco Cupcakes from Scratch
(Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)
TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:
- Preheat your oven and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers.
- Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and zest until well-blended, light, and fluffy.
- Beat in all other ingredients until the batter is combined, smooth, and just a little fluffy.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake papers, and bake until the top is golden brown, fully set, and springs back when lightly touched.
- Soak cupcakes with elderflower cordial for an added floral note (optional).
- Allow cupcakes to cool fully while you prepare the frosting.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
- Beat together all the ingredients until smooth and fully combined.
TO DECORATE THE CUPCAKES:
- Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with your preferred tip, and pop a rosette on top of each cupcake.
- Spray a light coating of pearl spray on top, dust with edible glitter, and then a few pearl sprinkles.
- Add the sparkler candles to each cupcake, light ‘em up and party!
Check out the full RECIPE WEB STORY for a click-through tutorial!
Test Kitchen Tips for Sweet Success
- Don't pop the Prosecco too soon: baked goods rise beause of gas bubbles created by the leaveners in a recipe (like baking soda or baking powder). In this recipe, the Prosecco gas bubbles are also playing a role too. Because of that, I've calculated some of the rising power from the Prosecco itself into the recipe, so we're not over-leavened. So make sure you're popping open that Prosecco just before adding it to the batter so you still have the rising power of those bubbles. (However for the frosting it's okay if it's a little flat as we don't care about the rising power there.)
- Soak em' if you want to: if you'd like to add the elderflower component that I love from my favorite cocktail, you can also use an elderflower cordial. Just puncture the tops of the hot, baked cupcakes with a fork or toothpick, then brush on that cordial and let it soak into your cupcakes for a floral flare. Simple syrup would also work well here too!
- Don't burn the house down: just the obilgatory warning here to BE CAREFUL WITH SPARKLER CANDLES!!! They are super fun and festive, but can shoot off little embers so be sure to watch them carefully once lit.
More Tips + FAQs
Can you make these cupcakes ahead of time?
I find these cupcakes are most tender when fresh. A few hours, to half a day, in advance is ideal timing to finish up these cupcakes so you can still serve them fresh, but the frosting can set up a bit.
How do you store leftover cupcakes?
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Are these cupcakes going to get me drunk?
Drunk? No. They have a very low level of alcohol in them due to how little we're using, and how many cupcakes we're spreading it out over. Essentially, we're spreading one glass of Prosecco across a dozen cupcakes.
However, while the bulk of the alcohol bakes off in the oven, there is still some alcohol present in the frosting as that is never heated up. So if you're avoiding even trace amounts of alcohol, you can prepare this recipe by just substituting milk for the Prosecco in the frosting.
Other Recipes You'll Love
If you're looking for other zesty citrus treats, head over to my Citrus Cream Cheese Pound Cake post and the Lemon Bundt with Lemon Glaze as well. And if you're looking for a quick mix cake for a crown, try my Easy Vanilla Sheet Cake with Raspberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, or Cream Cheese Frosting!
⭐ If you gave this recipe a try please give it a ⭐ rating and tag me on Instagram @mint.and.mallow.kitchen so I can see what you're baking up! ⭐
📖 Full Recipe
Lemon Prosecco Cupcakes with Prosecco Buttercream
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened*)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons (1 ½ - 2 teaspoons)
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Prosecco (freshly opened**)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup elderflower coridal (for soaking, optional)
FOR THE FROSTING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened*)
- 4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar (sifted)
- ¼ cup Prosecco
- Zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons (1 ½ - 2 teaspoons)
FOR THE DECORATIONS (optional):
- Edible glitter
- White pearl metallic food spray
- White nonpareils and/or 1-2mm white sprinkle pearls
- Sparkler candles (available in the cake decorating section of most art supply stores)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:
- Preheat and prep: preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers.
- Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and zest: cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and zest*** until well-blended, light, and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed using a hand or stand mixer).
- Beat in all other ingredients: add all the remaining cupcake ingredients (in the order listed - dries then wets) and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Once roughly combined, mix another 30 seconds - 1 minute on medium speed until the batter is combined, smooth, and just a little fluffy (beware: over-mixing here will make tough cupcakes).
- Portion and bake: divide batter evenly between 12 cupcake papers, using about ¼ cup per cupcake (an ice cream scoop works well here for easy and even portioning!). Bake for 14-16 minutes until the top is golden brown, fully set, and springs back when lightly touched. ****
- Soak 'em if you like (optional): if you'd like to add in a floral note with an elderflower cordial, use a fork to poke holes all over the top of your cupcakes after they have cooled for just 5 minutes, but are still hot. Then use a pastry brush to add 3-4 coats of cordial on top of the cupcakes, allowing each round to soak in before adding another.
- Cool fully: allow cupcakes to cool fully while you prepare the frosting.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
- Beat together all ingredients: place all frosting ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Beat on low speed using a hand or stand mixer for about 30 seconds, just until the ingredients are roughly combined, and then 30 seconds on medium-high speed until smooth and fully combined.
TO DECORATE THE CUPCAKES:
- Fill your pastry bag: transfer your frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used Ateco #857). Swirl frosting in a rosette on the top moving from the center of the cupcake to the edge. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, feel free to just frost your cupcakes by hand using an offset spatula or dinner knife.)
- Make ‘em sparkle (optional): aiming at a 45° angle, holding your hand about 8”-12” from the top of the cupcake, quickly and lightly spray your cupcakes once from each side using the edible pearl spray. Make additional passes with the spray as you like to achieve your desired look. Use a glitter pump to or sprinkle a little edible glitter by hand over the cupcakes for an extra fancy finish. Lastly, add a few white pearls and/or nonpareil sprinkles Immediately so they stick well before the frosting dries out.
- Light ‘em up and party! Add in the sparkling candles and light them up when you’re ready to serve your treats. Then blow them out (if you can) and make a wish! (I promise if it’s for a tasty cupcake…your prayers will be immediately answered!)
Test Kitchen Tips
- *Soft Butter: Make sure your butter is fully softened as this quick mix cake and frosting will need that nice, soft butter to make sure you don't end up with cold butter chunks in your batter.
- **Fresh Prosecco: this recipe was developed to account for those bubbling gases in a freshly opened bottle of Prosecco so you’ll want to pop that bottle right when you’re ready to add it to your cupcakes. For the frosting though, it’s okay if the Prosecco has gone a little flat.
- ***Zest over your bowl: always make sure to zest your lemon directly over your mixer bowl if possible so the oils that are released during the zesting process (which you often can't really see) make it into your batter too!
- ****Listen for the snap, crackle, and pop: when the cupcakes are ready, they'll have a nice, set dome and you’ll hear a bunch of air bubbles crackling and popping right when you take them out of the oven if you listen closely.
- Looking for something tasty to do with that extra prosecco and lemon juice? Here’s one of my favorite cocktails you can make with your leftover ingredients!
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