Perfect Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Perfect Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Every special occasion deserves a special frosting; that’s what this Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting is all about. Made with champagne reduction, light; creamy and melts in the mouth. A perfect addition to decorate any cake or cupcakes to it’s ultimate in luxury.

This is the Champagne of all Buttercreams. Get it?  

NO! really I mean it – you going to love this buttercream. It’s really creamy and light and it’s not too soft so you can pipe a pretty swirl on your cupcakes. In fact you could pipe a few roses with this buttercream if you follow my little trick.

 Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes. 

• Champagne – Now as a rule of thump – always cook with wine that you will drink and chocolate that you will eat. Right?
  Similarly use a Champagne that you will drink. If you can’t drink it – trust me you don’t want to use it. Having said that, no; you don’t have to dig a hole in your wallet. You can buy a good quality Champagne at a decent price from your local wine shop.
• Cherry – This is my secret ingredient. I love using a few cherries when I’m reducing the champagne. It’s adds that subtle flavor but also a natural pale pink color.
• Butter – I always use all butter in my frosting. I’t just me! It’s really very rare that I use vegetable shorting in my frosting. This one is all butter. If you prefer and are worried about humidity – you can substitute half the butter with vegetable shortening like Crisco.
• Fresh Whipping Cream – You can use milk or more champagne, I think cream is thicker and more yummy.
• Powder Sugar / Confectioners Sugar – Use a good quality powder sugar made with cane sugar not beet sugar and you will never have a gritty or grainy frosting.
• Red Gel Food Coloring – Often I love that little pink ting I get from the cherries so I don’t use  any additional food color but often when I use them in cupcakes  for customers I use that ever so little dab.
• Champagne extract – because we can use so little of the champagne in the frosting often our expectation of the flavor can be only met with the extract. It is an optional ingredient. However, If you are a cake decorator it’s worth the investment.

The best part of making Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Can you guess what’s the best part of making Pink Champagne Buttercream? You use only two cups for the buttercream recipe but the rest is  yours!! Yes!!
What can be better than sipping on a glass of champagne while decorating a cake. Oh heaven…

 Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting – using Premade buttercream

This is mostly applicable to cake decorators like me who already have buttercream in the fridge!
I you  have buttercream why make more.. Use it!!  And you can make Pink Champagne Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Pink Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream or Pink Champagne American Buttercream Frosting with this method. 

The best way to do this  –

• Make and cool the champagne reduction as detailed below.
• Fold the reduced champagne to 4 cups of buttercream frosting
• Add the champagne extract (optional)
• Add pink food color if you wish (optional)

Consistency – the consistency of this buttercream will depend on the consistency of the original buttercream. If you need to frost a cake or pipe swirls on cupcakes. This works just great. However, if you need a more firm or stiff buttercream then you probably better off using the recipe from scratch below.

 

The Perfect Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting – From Scratch

Tools

• K-Mix
• Sauce Pan
• Bowl
• Spatula
• Pink gel food color

Ingredients

• Champagne – 2 cups
• Cherries – 4 nos
• Unsalted Butter – 228 grams ( 1 cup)
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Powder Sugar – 500 grams (2 cups
• Champagne Extract – 1/4 tsp
• Clear Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp
• Fresh whipping cream or champagne – 2 to 4 tbsp

Method

Prepare Champagne Reduction

• Place the champagne in a heavy based sauce pan.
• Bruise the cherries a bit and add them to the champagne
• Cook on medium to low  for about 10 to 15 mins or until the champagne has reduced to 1/3 of it’s original volume.
• Set aside covered – let cool completely.

Make buttercream

• Place the butter and salt in the mixer bowl.
• Using the paddle attachment – mix the butter until light and fluffy.
• Add half the sugar along with the cooled champagne.
• Continue to mix for another minute or two
• Add the remaining powder sugar and mix for two more minutes.
• Add extracts

Check consistency

• If you want a firm, stiff consistency icing for a cake or piping then you need to stop mixing now.
• If not – I prefer to continue whipping for another 3 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
• Do a taste test and check if  too stiff or still grainy add – one to two tbsp fresh cream or champagne.
• And mix a minute more.
• Your buttercream is ready – if necessary add pink food color or use as is.

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Recipe Card – Perfect Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

 

Well, i’m going to finish my left over Champagne before I share with you my next recipe – Pink Champagne Cupcakes with this Pink Champagne Buttercream