Fluffy white champagne cupcakes topped with a chocolate ganache and mascarpone buttercream, and all of them are infused with a zing of champagne. The perfect New Year’s Eve treat! Check out all my other champagne-centered recipes that are perfect for New Year’s Eve.

2016 is in two days… is that actually right?

[checks calendar]

Yep, that’s right. Holy cow. That means it’s a fresh new year of me signing checks with the wrong date for about six months. That also means we’ll be on the other side of the halfway hump for the decade, which means we’re that much closer to 2020 which feels way too futuristic for me to process right now. It probably doesn’t help that I’m watching Back to the Future as I write this, so I’m sort of in a time traveling mindset.

But still! 2016. Crazytown.

In that case, I guess I should start making my New Year’s Eve plans… which I already know will consist of sitting on my couch in my pajamas, because going out to a lively, crowded bar that’s brimming with excitement for a fresh start just isn’t in the cards this year.

But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t still indulge a little – and this year, it’s going to be with these beautiful, delicious, fluffy, festive, celebratory Champagne Cupcakes.

Ingredients for champagne cupcakes

Cupcakes

1.5 cups white cake mix, store-bought or homemade
2 egg whites
⅓ cup coconut milk
⅓ cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons champagne
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Ganache

.25 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon champagne

Frosting

⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup mascarpone cheese
2-3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons champagne
Gold sprinkles, optional

How to make champagne cupcakes

Cupcakes

1.5 cups white cake mix, store-bought or homemade
2 egg whites
⅓ cup coconut milk
⅓ cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons champagne
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Ganache

.25 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon champagne

Frosting

⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup mascarpone cheese
2-3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons champagne
Gold sprinkles, optional

Champagne in the batter. Champagne in the creamy chocolate ganache. Champagne in the mascarpone buttercream frosting. Champagne, champagne, champagne.

They’re fluffy, and that’s exactly what I wanted. Super fluffy, light cupcakes. I didn’t want them to be dense, because champagne isn’t dense. It’s bubbly and bright!

I topped half of them with a simple chocolate ganache with an added zing of champagne, and then piled a tower of mascarpone buttercream frosting that also includes – surprise, surprise – champagne!

I went with mascarpone cheese for the frosting instead of cream cheese because, again, I wanted these to be light and fluffy. The frosting is fluffy, the ganache is fluffy, the cupcakes are fluffy – it’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!

Why did I add chocolate to only half, you ask? Purely for investigative purposes. I wanted to check out the balance of chocolate with white cake and buttercream versus no chocolate, and I determined they’re delicious either way.

After you take a bite, you’ll get a subtle zing of champagne – and that’s pretty much the best aftertaste I can ask for in a cupcake.

Since they’re so light in texture, these cupcakes won’t weigh you down during your New Year’s Eve festivities, so you’ll be free to sample all the other tasty treats at the party without needing to loosen your (undoubtedly stylish) belt.