Strawberry Rosé Cupcakes

These Strawberry Rosé Cupcakes are dense vanilla sponge cakes spiked with rosé. These cupcakes are filled with a fresh strawberry filling and topped with whipped vanilla buttercream.

Boozy Rosé Cupcakes

I’ll be honest…for a long time, I thought I wasn’t a huge fan of rosé, until I found a sparkling rosé. I’ve always loved my bubbles. I prefer one that not too sweet and a little bit dry. Turns out, I also love baking with it.

These Strawberry Rosé Cupcakes are an adaptation of my vanilla cupcakes. It’s a vanilla sponge cake spiked with rosé, filled with fresh strawberry filling, and topped with whipped vanilla buttercream.

And if the flavor of rosé in cupcakes wasn’t good enough, the bubbles in the rosé incorporate air into an otherwise dense cupcake base and create a lighter, fluffier cupcake!

What You’ll Need

For the Cupcake

• Granulated Sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Sour Cream – you can also use plain Greek yogurt if you don’t have sour cream
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Sparkling Rosé – I used Ruffino Rosé but any type of sparkling rosé will work.
• Milk – whatever milk you have on hand works great.

For the Strawberry Filling

• Strawberries – chopped
• Granulated Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Lemon Juice – water will work as well but I love the tanginess the lemon adds.

For the Frosting

• Unsalted Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Sparkling Rosé – you can’t necessarily taste the rosé a whole lot in this frosting, but it does help cut down the sweetness.

Let’s Make Rosé Cupcakes

These rosé cupcakes are made up of three different components, but are surprisingly quick and easy to throw together!

Make the Cupcakes

• Combine wet ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated, then mix in sour cream.
• Add dry ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients then add into the wet ingredients, beating until fully combined. Add in the rosé, mixing constantly, until combined.
• Fill the pan: Use a large cookie scoop to divide the batter into a lined cupcake pan. Fill each liner 2/3 full.
• Bake: Bake the cupcakes at 350ºF for 14-16 minutes, then cool completely.

Make the Filling

• Reduce the strawberries: Combine strawberries, sugar, and flour in a saucepan. Add lemon juice and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
• Cool: Remove the berries from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Place in the fridge to speed up the process.
• Fill the cupcakes: Use a cupcake corer to cut out the center of each cupcake. Fill the center with strawberry sauce then place the cut out piece of cupcake back over the filling.

Make the Frosting

• Beat the butter first: Cut the butter into pieces, then use the paddle attachment to beat until lighter in color. This should take several minutes, as it should be light and super fluffy.
• Add powdered sugar: Alternate adding the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time wihth the liquid ingredients (vanilla, cream and then rosé. After each addition of powdered sugar, beat the frosting for a couple minutes to maintain the fluffiest of the frosting.
• Decorate the cupcakes: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top the frosted cupcakes off with fresh fruit, then serve and enjoy!

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Success Tips

• Cool the filling in advance: The filling should be cooled before filling the cupcakes. The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Save the tops of the cupcakes. I like to save the cored piece of cupcake to stick back overtop the filling. This provides more structure to layer on the frosting.
• Don’t over-mix the cupcake batter. Once you add the Rosé, mix minimally. The bubbles help lighten up the texture of the cupcakes. If you mix too much, you’ll flatten them out.

How to Prepare Ahead of Time

Once assembled, these rosé cupcakes are best served right away. However, you can get ahead and prep each component in advance!

• The cupcakes: Bake the cupcakes one day in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
• The strawberry filling: Cook the filling 2 days in advance and store it in the fridge.
• The frosting: I don’t recommend making the frosting ahead of time. It’s best fresh!

Freezing Cupcakes

If you need to freeze the cupcakes, I recommend baking and cooling them completely, and freezing the cupcakes without the filling and frosting. When you’re ready to prepare, thaw the cupcakes to room temperature and then follow the recipe for the filling and frosting.

How to Store Cupcakes

Fully assembled cupcakes will last in an airtight container on the counter for 2 days. You can store them in the fridge, but the frosting will harden. If you do keep them in the fridge, let them come to room temperature before serving.

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